Warren supervisors agree to split personnel shortage costs for Chester Gap F&R with Rappahannock County

Following its hour-and-35-minute regular meeting and a two-hour-and-15-minute closed session on Tuesday, October 6, the Warren County Board of Supervisors settled into a four-item work session agenda. The first item discussed was an emergency services funding split with Rappahannock County for the Chester Gap Volunteer Fire Station to cover personnel loss replacement and coverage issues related to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chester Gap takes calls in both counties and a small number in Fauquier County. Currently, the Rappahannock County government is covering the $10,000 per month cost of staffing support being offered in the wake of the department’s loss of six emergency services responders in March.

“We’re seeking a reasonable split,” a Rappahannock board representative told Warren County officials. With Warren calls accounting for the highest annual number of both fire and EMS calls, that “reasonable split” was presented at a 50/50 funding share of that $10,000 monthly cost Rappahannock has unilaterally picked up over the past three months since the start of the fiscal year, July 1.

Rappahannock official, arm outstretched at the far end of work session table seeks ‘reasonable split’ on Chester Gap F&R Department expenses related to COVID-19 personnel losses, as county and Chester Gap officials listen. Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini – Royal Examiner Video by Mark Williams

Last year the Chester Gap Department responded to 203 calls in Warren, 177 in Rappahannock, and 15 in Fauquier County. So far this year there have been 130 total responses in Warren, 66 in Rappahannock, and 11 in Fauquier.

Interim Warren County Administrator Ed Daley told his board that through the end of the year it appeared that Coronavirus pandemic relief funding through the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Securities) Act would cover the county’s $5,000 monthly share. However, he observed that as things stand now there are no assurances CARES Act relief will be extended into the 2021 calendar year, meaning the County would have to take $30,000 of the funding from its General Fund reserves through the last half of FY-21 if CARES reimbursements are not extended past December 2020.

And with a six-month requisition of CARES Act funds followed by a six-month commitment of General Fund revenues put on the table by Warren County, it appears the Warren Board of Supervisors will split the Chester Gap Company costs retroactively to July of this year when Rappahannock began covering the costs.

While the short-term solution through the end of this fiscal year was reached without disagreement, longer-term issues with other county volunteer fire companies dealing with personnel shortage issues of a similar nature were noted by Warren Emergency Services Chief Richard Mabie and County Fire Marshal Gerry Maiatico. A service-personnel study was suggested to deal with the staff shortage issue felt across multiple departments long term.

Now, what about our other departments in a similar predicament? WC Emergency Services Chief Richard Mabie and Fire Marshal Gerry Maiatico, at the center of the left table, may be wondering.

Daley drew laughter when he commented on the uncertain status of CARES Act relief funding past the end of December indicating that, “COVID will be over in two months.”

See the discussion of short and long-term issues and solutions gravitating from personnel moves prompted in many cases by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and emergency response to it in this exclusive Royal Examiner video: