BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.—After more than half a century in business, the Berkeley County Rescue Squad will permanently shut down by next year.
“We are still going to be an organization until July 1st,” stated Chief Bill Salisbury. “That’s when the county’s budget shuts off and that would be a good time to shut it down. We may stop running calls sometime before then.”
The squad’s board of directors recently voted to disband the squad—a move Salisbury admits was bittersweet but one that was a step in the right direction. Volunteers with the squad were officially told of the decision on Thursday night during the squad’s regular monthly meeting.
“I’ve been doing it for 51 years and it hurts my heart,” Salisbury, who is the squad’s longest-serving member, added.
The Berkeley County Rescue Squad initially formed in August 1966 after several local citizens got together to look for a few missing teenagers on Lake Moultrie. Luckily, everyone was found safe and sound, but the seed was planted for some form of organized response.
During the squad’s heyday, the agency averaged close to 300 calls a year for service. The decision to disband the squad comes after a continued reduction in call volume and volunteer participation over the years.
Contributing partially to the squad’s reduction in call volume, is the duplication of services by other partnering first-responding agencies. At one time, the squad had the only pair of Jaws of Life in the county. However, most fire departments now have them—decreasing the need for the squad to respond to auto extrications. While much of the squad’s calls lately have involved water missions, both volunteer fire departments and the BCSO marine patrol also offer the same service.
The squad’s property and equipment will continue to be put to good use, however. According to Salisbury, the goal is to turn over the squad building and much of the assets to the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office.
“The land and building will be turned over to the sheriff’s office and used for rescue-related missions as long as he wants it to,” explained Salisbury. “The county can’t take it from him. As long as he wants to have a marine patrol and a dive team, the building and the land is his.”
Recently, an attorney for the rescue squad along with the county’s attorney met with county council to discuss a written mutual agreement that both parties have reportedly agreed upon. In the coming weeks, it will go before county council for a public vote.
“Because we are a 501c3, we can’t turn over the squad’s money to anybody. But we can buy equipment and turn it over to whatever agency we choose,” stated Salisbury. “We are going to sit down with the sheriff’s dive team and whatever equipment they need, we’ll buy the equipment and turn it over them.”
Whatever the sheriff’s office doesn’t want, the rescue squad will likely form a committee to determine which fire departments might benefit most from the remaining equipment.
Under the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, water and land searches will continue out of the squad building. However, auto extrications will cease, Salisbury added.
Currently, about 20 volunteers make up the rescue squad. According to Salisbury, the sheriff’s office may launch an auxiliary for current rescue members who would like to continue serving their community and responding to calls.
In the meantime, it continues to be business as usual for the rescue squad. The Berkeley County’s Rescue Squad website still remains live at this link—just under a different URL. The agency’s news blog can be found here. The squad’s Twitter page also remains live.
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