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Public safety director urges unified approach as Hampton County fire staffing, equipment shortfalls persist
Summary
Public Safety Director John Lawson told the Hampton County Council on May 27 that volunteer staffing shortages, aging apparatus and incomplete interlocal agreements are putting county fire coverage at risk; he urged release of a recent fire study and renewed intergovernmental talks to prevent service interruptions.
John Lawson, Hampton County public safety director, told the council at a May 27 special call meeting that persistent volunteer shortages and worn equipment threaten countywide fire response and that better intergovernmental agreements and communication are required to maintain service.
"Thereare not enough of them across the county," Lawson said, describing a countywide five‑year recruitment total of about 30 people and noting the difference between rostered members and those medically cleared and certified for interior firefighting. He said some stations list many names on rosters but only a handful of personnel are reliably available to respond.
Lawson gave a station‑by‑station account: Station 10 in Brunson is among the highest participating; Station 12 in Shirley has roughly four active members; Station 13 about eight; Station 20 (Estill) lists about 20 on paper but typically the same four or five respond. Because of manpower shortages, Lawson said the county has routinely tacked on three‑ to five‑station responses to structure fires and recently requested mutual aid from a neighboring county.
The director also warned of capital needs. "Ninety percent of the apparatus that is currently in operation in Hampton County is beyond NFPA recommendation for service," Lawson said, calling for near‑term capital replacement planning and noting weekly maintenance struggles.
Lawson described two distinct mutual support arrangements: automatic aid (prearranged, automatic dispatch) and mutual aid (requested assistance). He said negotiations over an automatic aid agreement stalled and the parties remain at mutual aid, which affects whether certain town apparatus (for example, the town of Hampton's rescue truck) are included automatically in county responses.
On a recent change of apparatus, Lawson said the ambulance that had been housed at Station 50 in Hampton was relocated to Station 80 in Nixville. He argued that a narrowly worded clause transferring command to the town authority once the town chief arrives could have resolved jurisdictional concerns and restored the town rescue unit to the automatic response rotation.
Lawson asked that the countymake public the outside fire study that informed recommended changes. "I think it's time that the full study is made publicly available," he said, adding that district chiefs should see the document to reduce misinterpretation and social‑media circulation of partial information.
He addressed recent tensions with the town of Estill, including a written letter that appeared on social media and unannounced removal of town‑owned equipment from county apparatus. Lawson described repeated attempts to schedule intergovernmental sit‑downs that, he said, would still be welcomed: "The only way you get that done is to sit down at a table and have a discussion."
Lawson also summarized the hiring process used to select the current fire chief: a five‑person panel (including two neighboring county chiefs, an economic development representative and a deputy county administrator), standardized questions, scoring sheets and follow‑up interviews, with recommendations vetted by Administrator Levar Yumas.
Council members asked no further substantive questions after the presentation and the chair thanked Lawson for the briefing. The council scheduled a follow‑up intergovernmental meeting with municipal mayors and fire leaders for June to continue coordination.
The briefing did not resolve the HR matter referenced in public comments; Lawson said that matter remains separate and that he has received no formal written complaints or requests for meetings related to the alleged incidents. He urged firefighters, town leaders and county officials to use established channels for complaints and to engage directly to avoid public escalations.
What happens next: Lawson asked the council to circulate the consultant study more widely, complete discussions on mutual/automatic aid language, and work on a capital replacement plan for apparatus; council members agreed to schedule continued talks with municipal leaders.
