York County Council told staff on Monday, Sept. 14, that it cannot settle on a long-term vision for fire protection until it knows what level of service each of the county’s 16 fire departments provides and needs. Staff will meet with every department and return with a recommended approach, a process expected to take several months.
Council took no votes on the fire item during the workshop at the York County Office Complex in Rock Hill, where much of the audience came from the fire service. Members disagreed on how large a role the county should play in a system built on 16 fire districts, seven special tax districts, volunteers and paid firefighters. Chairwoman Christi Cox said the issue came to a head during budget talks, when council was asked to make 39 firefighters county employees without an agreed plan. David Garner, assistant county manager for public safety, acknowledged the county has no level of service standard it enforces or expects.
Council later met in executive session for legal advice on litigation updates and the Piedmont Hospital contract, took no action and adjourned.
Fire Service Long-Term Vision and Strategic Plan
Staff Frames the Discussion
Garner said the goal was a shared vision and a clear definition of the county’s role, built on the county’s 10-year framework and 2025-28 Fire Services Strategic Plan. Station locations, staffing and consolidation were off the table.
An anonymous survey of council found agreement on municipal partnerships, sustainable service, trained personnel, planning for growth and accountability. Members split on collaboration versus unification, tax district versus countywide funding, whether the county should employ firefighters and how fast change should come.
Council Members Weigh In
Cox said the fire system has two core goals: maintaining Insurance Services Office ratings that keep insurance affordable and protecting residents from fire. She said voters in many areas have approved higher service through special tax districts and warned against starting with finances rather than service levels.
Vice Chairman Tom Audette, who favors limited government and local control, compared the fire districts to the county’s four school districts and said one approach will not fit all. He said council must first understand each district’s needs and what keeps it from meeting response time goals.
District 2 Councilman Andy Litten said the county’s current scattered approach is no longer efficient and criticized a governance structure in which the county is involved in some matters but not others. He said the system lacks a hierarchy and “works until it doesn’t.”
District 7 Councilwoman Debi Cloninger praised Flint Hill firefighters for a town home fire response near her home the previous week and said growth along Interstate 77 requires paid firefighters around the clock.
District 3 Councilman Tommy Adkins said he has not seen evidence of a fire service problem and called emergency medical services the bigger issue. He praised western county volunteer departments, said tax districts rarely report to council as required, and said the county should repair equipment rather than buy new trucks.
Standards and the County’s Role
Garner offered a survey response as a possible consensus: the county would set common outcomes and accountability while allowing different delivery models based on community risk, need and willingness to fund enhanced service. Audette called it too general, and Adkins said it needed more work.
Cox said the county should already have baseline data on each department’s required service level, equipment and call volume, and that two and a half years into the discussion it still does not. She said the county’s equipment policy works as a waiting list rather than being based on need, and she raised, without endorsing, the idea of a western special tax district. She cautioned that National Fire Protection Association standards are rarely met.
Garner presented seven possible county roles, ranging from convening and supporting departments to directly operating, governing and funding fire service. Members did not settle on one.
Litten raised unresolved questions about equipment agreements, training standards, non-employees driving county vehicles, workers’ compensation for volunteers and tax boards hiring their own attorneys and accountants. Cox said those will need legal review after data is gathered.
Council Direction
By consensus, council accepted staff’s plan to skip the strategic goals portion and pursue what Garner called an effective response framework, using county mapping data, possibly consultants, and meetings with each department. Staff will also send departments a version of the council survey and address the equipment plan first. Garner said the work will not return in October or November. Fire service will remain a standing item on the monthly Justice and Public Safety Committee agenda for public input.
Executive Session
Council voted unanimously to receive legal advice on litigation updates and on the Piedmont Hospital contract.
Matters Following Executive Session
Cox reported no action was taken. No motions followed.
Adjourn
Council adjourned. Its next workshop, on county utilities, is planned for October.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Associate Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
