Chiefs point to Charleston automatic-aid model as example for Beaufort County

Several chiefs urged the county to study automatic aid as part of the consolidation review, citing Charleston as a working model. As one chief explained, "Automatic aid is when it's automatically programmed into dispatch that the closest unit responds to certain calls," and proponents said the change can cause a rapid increase in call volume for participating departments that must be accounted for financially.

Speakers noted Charleston departments had auxiliary funding sources and maintenance facilities that offset increased responses and wear-and-tear; smaller districts expressed concern that higher call volumes could strain equipment and budgets if their tax base had been reduced by annexation. The consensus at the workshop was to include automatic-aid scenarios in the consultant's scope so the study can model call-volume, cost allocation and potential pro rata funds for shared responses.