Campbell County public safety director warns of staffing strain, outlines response and shelter needs

Tracy Fairchild, Campbell County’s public safety director, told the Board of Supervisors that the county’s emergency operations are under pressure from rising demand and staffing shortages.

"Seventy-seven percent of every 911 call in Campbell County is answered in under three seconds," Fairchild said, but added staffing gaps are acute: "we currently have three openings, one in training, and one that's been on medical leave since June 1 — those five positions are an entire shift." She said dispatchers and EMS personnel are working large amounts of overtime to keep shifts covered.

Fairchild described five core operations the department oversees — the emergency 911 center, animal control, fire suppression and inspection, EMS services, and emergency management — and highlighted problems in each. She said volunteer fire and rescue coverage has fallen (Campbell County had six volunteer rescue squads in 2015 and two today), and that volunteer programs continue to be a vital supplement to paid staff. She credited volunteer groups Friends of Campbell County Animal Control (FOAC) and BARC (a shelter-renovation fundraising group) for placing hundreds of animals this year and raising more than $740,000 (Fairchild said BARC’s total had recently reached about $802,000).

Fairchild also advocated for a new career EMS station to improve response times in high-call corridors — she pointed to a heat map showing 67% of call volume concentrated in the Timberlake and Alta Vista corridor — and said she supports an additional public safety facility without closing existing volunteer stations.

On personnel costs and retention, Fairchild said starting pay for a dispatcher is about $39,000 and that some recruits have left for higher-paying retail jobs. She said the job’s emotional demands, especially for dispatchers and EMS crews who hear or respond to traumatic incidents, also contribute to turnover. The department has begun a peer-support partnership with the sheriff's office and uses a grant-funded program (Impact Services) to provide up to six counseling visits for first responders and volunteers.

Fairchild listed other operational pressures including aging facilities (the animal shelter is nearly 40 years old, she said), supply and apparatus delays that push vehicle deliveries into 2027–2028, and the likelihood that the county will need at least one additional full-time fire marshal or assistant fire marshal in the future.

Board members praised the presentation, asked follow-up questions about volunteer decline and whether volunteers have access to counseling, and heard staff confirm volunteers can use the counseling services. Several supervisors encouraged review of response maps and further study of station siting to guide capital planning.

The board did not take immediate formal action on Fairchild’s recommendations during the meeting; the presentation concluded with Fairchild distributing response-time handouts and further data for supervisors to review.