DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — Dorchester County plans to reduce shifts for EMS providers and hire more paramedics due to an increase in call volume, and an effort to combat responder fatigue.
A proposal to reduce shifts from 24 hours to 12 hours, and hire 16 more paramedics, was included as a $1.2 million item in the county’s 2016 budget. The change will go into effect July 1, WCSC reports.
EMS Director Doug Warren said the growing community has caused strain on the EMS agency, and reducing shifts is vital to the safety of his staff and county residents.
“When we were a sleepy little rural community people could come to work, work a 24-hour shift and know they were going to have some down time,” Warren said.
Now, EMS crews are getting little to no breaks during their 24-shifts.
“It’s not safe for them to be doing that,” Warren said. “Fatigued employees have become a real issue.”
An increasing population in the county has caused emergency calls to increase by 2,000 in one year.
“We’re going to run nearly 18,000 calls this fiscal year,” Warren said.
The proposal will increase property taxes by about $33 on a $150,000 home. Although county council members expressed concern about the increase, a majority agreed it’s a necessary change.
“Is it about the tax dollar, or do you want to be safe?” asked Council member Willie Davis.
Dorchester County is accepting applications to fill the 16 new positions.