by Sharon Curran Wright
During a recent interview with Cody Davis, Director/Chief of the Buckingham Department of Emergency Services, Davis said that, as of December of 2020, the Buckingham County Volunteer Rescue Squad had transitioned all of its operations over to the Buckingham County Department of Emergency Services. After 50 years of excellent service by volunteers, the county responded to a dwindling volunteer force and increasing administrative requirements by staffing positions with county employees. A number of those who previously volunteered are now on staff, and three continue
to volunteer with BCDES.
One of the first orders of business by the county was to remodel, expand, and reopen the Glenmore Station. Doing this drastically decreased response times to the northern part of the county and allowed better services to citizens in that part of Buckingham.
Two new ambulances – one of which already has more than 100,000 miles on it – serve the county. Through grants and other funding support, BCDES has been able to place new heart monitors into service and new state-of-the-art airway placement technology. A new utility terrain vehicle for accessing remote patients and new ventilators will be placed into service soon. In addition to these new assets, the department is also working on implementing new and improved patient care protocols and unveiling programs and initiatives that will enhance care in Buckingham County.
At the time that the county took control, there were roughly 1800 calls for service being handled annually. This number continues to increase and is now at roughly 2200-2300 annually. While the number of calls is increasing in general, the biggest reason for the spike in numbers over the last two years is that Buckingham is handling more of its own calls rather than having to request mutual aid assistance. This is a benefit of our increasing number of staffed ambulances in the county.
Davis believes that the county has benefitted from the transition by having more personnel and more medic-level staff as well as by the addition of more reliable and advanced equipment. He points out that the staff is composed primarily of Buckingham County residents, which promotes a sense of ownership, pride, and compassion. Davis hopes that the current department supports and protects county citizens as well as the volunteer force did for so many years.
Davis gives credit to the Buckingham County Board of Supervisors, County Administrator, County Attorney, and the citizens. Their support of BCDES has been paramount to the department’s success.