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Residents urge board to fund additional EMS, fire, sheriff positions amid long response-time concerns
Summary
Multiple residents and Department of Social Services staff told the Board of Supervisors the county needs more EMS, fire and sheriff positions to reduce long emergency response times and support social-service work; speakers described heavy caseloads, near-miss incidents, and a 20-minute response to a vehicle explosion.
Multiple speakers at the May 4 public hearing urged the King William County Board of Supervisors to prioritize staffing for emergency services and social-service positions to improve response times and public safety.
Christie Craddock, a benefit supervisor at the Department of Social Services, said the department is "short staffed as well as underpaid" and urged the board to fund positions across social services, fire and the sheriff's office to prevent losing experienced employees. Erica Goodman, a CPS investigator at DSS, said her caseload "has just exploded" and described instances where no officer was available to accompany visits, underscoring the need for additional law-enforcement and support staff.
Resident Jessica 2nd described target response times she said should guide resourcing decisions—"allergic reactions or asthma attacks... within 8 to 10 minutes," and "heart attacks and strokes... within 4 to 6 minutes"—and urged the board to consider partial funding if full funding cannot be approved immediately. Lindsay Shelton, a trauma survivor and parent, described hunters shooting near residences, near-miss school-bus incidents, and a neighbor's camper explosion that took emergency responders about 20 minutes to reach, arguing that staffing increases would both speed responses and deter dangerous behavior.
Speakers tied these individual accounts to broader staffing shortfalls for volunteer departments and requested that the board allocate funding to reduce response times, bolster public safety and support social-service delivery. Several callers asked that the board consider at least partial funding if the full requested amounts cannot be approved immediately.
