Commissioners say “No” to renewing Rescue Squad contract

ANSON — With little further discussion on the matter, the Anson County Board of Commissioners decided to no longer contract with the Anson Rescue Squad last Tuesday. This decision leaves the rescue entity, already perilously close to closure, with the lasting question: Should they find the funds to continue operating and can they compete with the county’s paid emergency medical service?

“At a previous meeting I was asked by the board to see if I could find some grant funding to be advanced to the Anson Rescue Squad for the purpose of paying their salaries,” said County Manager Leonard Sossoman. “I have researched it through the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, Carolina Council of Government, and a number of other entities, including Atrium Health… and last but not least the North Carolina General Assembly, and I have yet to find someone that will provide us with a grant to pay for salaries.”

According to Sossoman, a glaring hindrance for the Rescue Squad finding funding through grants is they are not currently a 501c3 non-profit organization.

“With that being the case, if the Rescue Squad is not successful in securing the funds or in finding the $420,000 to keep them in operations, then I have talked to our Emergency EMS director and he has indicated that he got a truck, an ambulance … he would need to hire the additional personnel to operate that on a 24/7 basis, just like our others do, so that is another option if you want to consider that,” said Sossoman.

At Commissioner Jarvis Woodburn’s suggestion that the Rescue Squad look into alternative funding through local trusts, Sossoman agreed, saying trusts are a viable option for the Rescue Squad, and he believes a trust would be best pursued by the Rescue Squad as an entity, rather than him, as county manager, interceding on their behalf.

“It appears that we have exhausted all avenues that we know of to find funding to meet that $420,000 request. The manager’s recommendation, I don’t think it’s wise for the county to invest that $420,000 into the private business of the Anson Rescue Squad,” said Commissioner Chair Jamie Caudle. “I just want to clarify for the citizens listening, and for the audience that will be listening tomorrow, by us not funding the Anson Rescue Squad, the services will not be, I guess, cut out of our county,” said Caudle, reminding citizens the county does have an Anson EMS agency that commissioners made a substantial investment in last budget.

“The services provided to the citizens will not change, the ambulance that may be coming to your house may change … the other services you receive as a citizen will not change,” said Caudle.

He pointed out the Anson Rescue Squad is a private entity and commissioners are simply deciding to end their contract with them as a third party, not voting to shut the Rescue Squad down.

“The Anson Rescue Squad is a private, non-profit entity, not owned by Anson County or affiliated with Anson EMS,” said Caudle, following the meeting. As the amount requested from the Rescue Squad is approximately equivalent to paying for full time staff to run one truck, Caudle says the county instead chose to invest money into its own organization, Anson EMS.

“By investing that money into Anson EMS, the county can have more flexibility in providing essential ambulatory services to all of the citizens of Anson County,” continued Caudle.

Members of the Rescue Squad admit to feeling surprised by the news, as staff indicate they had no clue the Anson County Board of Commissioners intended to move in a different direction from contracting with them, as the Rescue Squad has been serving the citizens of Anson County since 1958.

“I am very grateful for all the commissioners have done and for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Anson County,” says Tyler Greene, former director of the Rescue Squad. “No one has ever communicated this to me but I did get a sense the writing seemed to be on the wall.”