Consultants urge stakeholder governance, interim chief to steady Amelia County fire and EMS

John Edwards of Local Solutions and consultants Cricket Gerald and Spencer Cheatham told Amelia County supervisors their assessment found committed personnel but governance and operational gaps as the county shifts from an all-volunteer model toward a combination paid/volunteer system.

"We found that you've got a lot of strengths," Edwards said, summarizing two days of interviews and an online survey of 59 volunteer and paid responders. He and Spencer Cheatham highlighted cultural and governance challenges that, they said, would be eased by a formal stakeholders group that includes paid staff, EMS and volunteer leadership.

Spencer Cheatham, fire chief of the Town of West Point, recommended immediate formation of a fire-and-EMS stakeholders group and hiring an interim, experienced fire chief to build collaborative relationships and standardize operations. "The interim fire chief shoulde an experienced person to step in right now," Cheatham said, adding that a careful national search for a long-term chief could take 12 to 18 months.

Consultants also urged a single set of standard operating procedures for joint responses, stronger incident command and an acting incident-review process to reduce recurring friction between volunteers and paid staff. Cricket Gerald stressed joint training and a countywide training calendar as a path to shared practices and trust-building.

Board members asked whether an interim chief could come from current ranks; consultants said internal candidates sometimes succeed but recommended choosing the best-qualified candidate regardless of origin. Robert (the board's fire-department representative) asked whether prior transitions had failed; consultants pointed to successful local examples and said the right candidate and clear governance can make the model work.

The consultants offered to help the county facilitate stakeholder-group formation and to assist with the chief-hiring process if the board chooses. No formal action was taken; the board thanked the consultants and indicated staff would follow up on recommendations.