In the next two weeks, Anderson County will begin seeking a consultant to do an in-depth analysis of its small rescue squads.
In that time frame, the county will send out two requests: one asking for firms’ qualifications to do the analysis and a second request for firms to detail what, specifically, they would do to evaluate the squads.
“This is something that we don’t want to delay,” County Administrator Rusty Burns said this week. “Our number-one priority is that if you are having a medical emergency and you dial 911, we have somebody coming to help you as quickly as humanly possible. We want to know what we need to do to keep our emergency medical services providers as sound and healthy as possible.”
Burns said he does not have an estimate on the cost of the analysis, but expects that the price will be “in excess of $30,000.”
The decision to do an in-depth analysis comes after a study was made public this week.
The study, commissioned by Anderson County earlier this year and initially kept confidential, shows that most of the nonprofit rescue squads in this part of the Upstate are in serious financial trouble.
The county pays nonprofit rescue squads in Belton, Honea Path, Iva, Pelzer, Pendleton, Townville and Williamston and the private company Medshore Ambulance Service a total of $4 million annually to handle emergency calls throughout the county.
A financial analysis done by accounting firm Greene, Finney & Horton
in March found that most of the nonprofit squads were rated in poor shape and operating in the red. Squads in Belton and Iva were rated to be in fair financial condition, while only Pendleton Emergency Medical Services was rated in good shape.
Some of the squads took issue with the report this week.
“We are aware that we are asset rich and cash poor,” said Dan Durham, who is on the board of directors for Pelzer EMS. “But if we had to get quick cash, we could.”
Spence Vaughn, a shift supervisor for Belton EMS, said he had not heard the agency was having money problems.
“As far as I know, our finances are good,” he said in an interview. “We are talking about getting new trucks.”
Several other agencies’ representatives said they thought the numbers in the report are inaccurate.
“It might be the worst report we ever got,” said Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn. “But if it is, it isn’t the accounting firm’s fault. They worked with numbers they got directly from the squads. If there is something wrong with those numbers, we need to find that out.”
Medshore is overseeing Williamston Emergency Medical Services since the county determined earlier this year that the agency did not have enough cash to make payroll. Williamston EMS Chief Joe Barr resigned in May.
Allegations of financial mismanagement at the agency during Barr’s tenure remain under investigation, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
South Carolina County Seeks Consultant to Review Rescue Squads
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