Charlotte County officials weigh $350K–$550K staffing options for rescue squad as calls and burnout rise

Public Safety Director Chris Russell told the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors on March 4 that the county’s volunteer and paid rescue operations are under sustained strain and presented two staffing models to increase 24/7 EMS coverage.

Russell said the county is averaging seven calls a day and that employees are “getting burnt out quickly,” and added that both the unit’s captain and its billing supervisor recently stepped down because of overwork. He presented two options: add two 24-hour crews plus one peak-shift crew at an estimated additional cost of about $350,000 to the county, or move to three full 24-hour crews at an estimated additional cost of about $550,000. Russell noted the county’s Fire and EMS study recommended three full-time crews and planning for a fourth.

Supervisor Hazel Bowman Smith said the three-crew option would provide needed coverage in her district. Vice Chairman Walter T. Bailey agreed and asked staff to proceed using the requested additional $550,000, a direction that would be reflected in the proposed FY25 budget planning.

The presentation did not include a formal vote to appropriate funds; the Board’s instruction to staff is a budget direction to be addressed in the formal budget process. No timeline for hiring, certification needs, or detailed recurring cost breakdowns were provided during the work session, and Russell said the county has not yet implemented the study’s fourth-crew planning.

The Board will consider the staffing direction alongside other departmental and nonprofit funding requests as part of the broader FY25 budget process. The next scheduled work-session date will be set at the regular meeting on March 13.