Consultants urge West Columbia to plan for second fire station, training space as EMS demand grows

Joseph Pazu, a consultant with the Center for Public Safety Management, told the City of West Columbia council that the city's fire department is functioning "within capacity" but will need planning and investment as population growth increases EMS demand.

The assessment, nearly 200 pages, found that West Columbia currently staffs a single career station with a minimum of eight personnel on duty daily and benefits from automatic and mutual aid arrangements with Lexington County and neighboring jurisdictions that help the city maintain an Insurance Services Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification 1 rating. "You have 8 people on duty every day as sort of a minimum," Pazu said, noting the department typically assigns three on the engine, four on the ladder and one shift commander.

Why it matters: the report lays out specific operational and capital recommendations tied to rising call volumes, demographic risk factors (including a sizable 65-and-over population and social determinants of health), and the changing development pattern toward denser, multi-story housing that presents different firefighting challenges.

Key findings and recommendations

- Staffing and deployment: Pazu recommended modest increases to effective staffing per shift and prioritized maximizing use of part-time personnel to reduce mandatory overtime. He provided FTE recommendations and suggested the city use the figures to estimate budget impacts rather than immediately hire to fill all positions.

- Response time and dispatch: the report documented call-processing and dispatch delays tied to county dispatch procedures; Pazu said call-processing time averages about four minutes before apparatus are even alerted and emphasized that the NFPA standard for first-unit travel is shorter. He recommended city staff work with Lexington County's communication center to reduce calls that lack a medical priority dispatch (MPDS) determinant so the correct resources are sent.

- Maintain automatic and mutual aid: the consultant urged the city to preserve existing aid agreements, saying the system is a major factor in maintaining the ISO Class 1 rating. "Stay in that because it helps you maintain this ISO 1 status," Pazu said, while warning the council to monitor the balance of runs in and out of the city.

- Training and facilities: the report recommends creating a dedicated hands-on training area (for live-fire props, vehicle extrication, ladder training, hose evolution) and evaluating the existing station for aging systems. Pazu suggested the city consider site options such as Lee Park or other city-owned parcels for a centralized training facility rather than duplicating training spaces at each station.

- Capital planning: the city's Capital Improvement Program (CIP) already includes a second fire station in year 5 and apparatus purchases; the consultant advised using the CIP and the report's mapping to refine siting and budget priorities and to consider how a second station would alter staffing needs.

- Regionalization trade-offs: Pazu reviewed pros and cons of turning service over to the county or a regional partner. He warned that while regionalization may lower direct personnel responsibilities, "you don't have any control anymore," and cautioned that contracted costs can rise over time as partners buy apparatus or raise wages.

Council questions and next steps

Council members pressed the consultant on specific operations. A councilmember (S4) asked whether the four-minute call-processing figure meant several additional minutes before arrival; Pazu confirmed the multi-part timing — call transfer, call-processing, turnout and travel — and said those cumulative delays help explain observed travel times. Council members also asked about compensation models, schedules (48/96 vs. 24-hour rotations), and whether staff surveys were used; Pazu said the chief had conducted a survey used in the study and the consultant interviewed staff during the site visit.

City staff confirmed the assessment will feed long-term planning and that a regional compensation study for public safety staff (fire and police) is a goal for the next fiscal year. S10 (city staff) stated that the broader compensation review "will be conducted within the next fiscal year." The council did not take formal action at the meeting beyond receiving the report and asking staff to return with options and cost estimates.

The consultant left a set of prioritized, operational recommendations and mapping that city staff and the fire chief can use to model staffing scenarios, station locations, training-area feasibility, and budget impacts. The council indicated it would use the assessment as a long-term planning tool and to inform the forthcoming compensation review.