“Station 8 is a backup system. By no means are we trying to be the primary here. We are a backup, that’s what we started as, that’s what we’ll remain as long as we possibly can, but we will answer every call that we possibly can.” –EMS Director Scottie Cassell
The Jeb Stuart Volunteer Rescue Squad responded to more calls than any other in the county until April 14, when its paid staff was furloughed. Since then, the number of calls it answered has plummeted to one call.
Patrick County EMS Director Scottie Cassell said Station 8, the county’s paid staff, has put a second truck into service full-time to pick up as many of those calls as possible.
“I know there’s a couple days a week where we only have one truck, but all calls have been answered,” he said.
Before career staff were furloughed, Cassell said the county’s paid squad, known as Station 8, was running 108 to 110 fire and rescue calls each month. As of April 29, the number was 171 and counting.
“Our call volume increased because they (Jeb Stuart) haven’t covered any calls, but we’ve been managing to cover them,” Cassell said, adding that in April, there were 149 calls in the area previously served by the financially beleaguered squad.
“They covered 26 of them,” Cassell said, and added the coverage was “before they made their announcement or anything. They mutually aided once, which means they went into someone else’s area and covered a call.”
Cassell said he remembers instances of Jeb Stuart running with three or four trucks and that still not being enough on some days.
“It’s just (the nature of) EMS. Call volume is not the same every day,” he said, adding that “Station 8 is a backup system. By no means are we trying to be the primary here. We are a backup, that’s what we started as, that’s what we’ll remain as long as we possibly can, but we will answer every call that we possibly can.”
The fact that Jeb Stuart hasn’t been running calls obviously has put a strain on everyone, county wide, Debbie Foley, captain of the Smith River Rescue Squad, said.
“Our station has been able to put together a few crews a few times to cover Station 3’s calls throughout when we can, but it’s definitely put a strain on the county. There’s no doubt about it, particularly Station 8,” she said.
While she’s uncomfortable answering for the squad itself, Foley said she thinks she can speak for everyone is saying that she hopes some type of solution is found quickly.
“Much sooner rather than later,” she said.
Mike Fulk, captain of the Ararat squad, said he supports Jeb Stuart’s request for $100,000 from the county.
“I don’t understand why the county won’t do that. You know, Jeb is providing a service for the county, and employed several people in the county, so I don’t know what the issue is,” he said.
Fulk said all of the county’s volunteer rescue squads are currently struggling to make it because of the minimal support they get from the county.
“But Jeb Stuart, in my opinion, they run more calls than anybody in the county. My understanding is they ran 1,200 and some odd calls last year versus the next would be Station 8 I guess at what, 800 and some calls,” he said.
Fulk said when a rescue squad is running that amount of calls, it’s a big service to the community “at a very minimal cost for what they’re actually doing for the community.”
In his understanding of what’s going to happen, Fulk said every rescue squad in the area under the Western Virginia Emergency Medical Services (WVEMS) umbrella is going to have to switch over to provide their own drugs.
“That’s going to be even more expense. I don’t know, I think they’re asking for $100,000 per year in four increments, like $25,000 per quarter. I don’t know what’s been discussed between them and the county administrator or the board of supervisors,” he said.
If it comes down to Jeb Stuart shuttering its doors, Fulk said the county would end up having to pay several million dollars to provide the services the squad had provided for virtually nothing.
“They’re going to have to add more county employees, they’re going to have to have more trucks. I mean, it’s going to be a domino effect, it’s going to probably eventually at some point in time increase taxes. So, to me it’s almost a no brainer that they support Jeb Stuart if they continue to provide the service that they’ve been providing,” he said.
Howard Alderman, of the Vesta squad, said he personally spoke with Derek Wagner, president of the Jeb Stuart squad to voice his support.
“I told him he had our support, as much as what we could do,” he said.
Alderman said he doesn’t have an issue with Jeb asking for additional funds.
“I do know that they have a large call volume, and I understand that it’s going to take at least two, probably three paid trucks to be able to keep up with the call volume a lot of times,” he said.
Alderman said it’s obvious that the number of volunteers has gone down significantly in the county, state, and country. He noted the county’s population is also decreasing.
“So, that’s fewer people we’ve got to pull from to get volunteers, and the volunteers just aren’t there,” he said.
Alderman said there are four providers in Vesta, “and a lot of times with the call volume we have, sometimes it’s not enough. And everybody works, and a lot of people, like me, work out of the county. That makes it even harder for people to volunteer,”
Short of getting more volunteers to be able to cover more calls, Alderman said crews will have to be paid to be there to answer calls.
“Whether that means adding more staff to the county services already there or helping to supplement JEB Stuart, but you’re going to have to pay people, because it’s obvious the volunteers just aren’t there anymore,” he said.
Alderman added he fully supports both Jeb Stuart and Station 8.
“We’ve loaned both organizations a truck in the past, you know, when they get in a situation where they had one down and it was going to be in the garage for a couple days. We fully support both of them,” he said.
Cassell said the county has made it well aware that county residents need EMS, and they will get it – one way or another.
“Whether it be volunteer or paid staff needed. They are committed to helping the citizens. In the same breath, we don’t want any volunteers to close down,” he said.
Like all other county agencies, Cassell said Station 8 soft bills for its services.
Cassell also said doesn’t want to see any squad dissolve. The county needs every volunteer it can get.
“I appreciate every minute a volunteer gives,” he said.
Cassell said the future is a hard call if the Jeb Stuart squad dissolves, particularly because Station 8 and several of the other volunteer agencies have had a downslide.
“I mean, it’s not their fault, it’s just volunteerism itself is on a downslide. Being a volunteer myself, going on 35 years now, every minute a volunteer can give the county is greatly appreciated,” he said. “It’s just nobody’s hardly volunteering anymore. We have a few success stories in there, like Patrick Springs, but the majority is few and far between.”
In the fiscal year 2024-2025 budget, Cassell said he requested an additional four paid staff members for Station 8.
“That will put two full-time trucks on at Station 8 around the clock,” he said.
CCDF President Randy Burge and Captain Shana Payne, and Blue Ridge Captain Billy Aldridge did not respond to calls for comment.
