Fire, EMS calls spike for Cumberland
Published 6:16 am Wednesday, January 29, 2025
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The number of calls Cumberland fire and EMS (emergency medical service) staff respond to is on the rise. Cumberland Fire Chief Andy Aigner informed the board of supervisors during their Tuesday, Jan. 14 meeting that calls went up 5% in 2024.
“It could be due to an uptick in population, home building, things like that,” Aigner told the board.
Overall, the department had 1,875 total calls. Out of that number, 1,376 went to Cumberland EMS Rescue Squad. Another 267 went to Cumberland Volunteer Fire, with 87 going to Cartersville Fire Department as the primary and 145 calls going to Randolph Volunteer Fire Department.
On the plus side, Chief Aigner told the board that Cumberland emergency medical dispatch is now active. That program started Tuesday, Jan. 7.
“What it does for the community is if you call 911 for medical, it then streamlines a better process from the dispatcher to screen what the problem is, so they can dispatch the resource quicker,” Aigner said. “And then as the resources are responding, the dispatcher is trained to stay on the phone line with the caller to instruct them on life saving measures. That is a huge benefit for county citizens.”
He added that there would be nine dispatchers as part of the program, all fully certified.
Aigner also told the board that the equipment will be here soon for the county’s updated radio system. Most of it has been sent to the Virginia State Police and work will take place over the next few months to get everything tested and installed. Last year, supervisors signed off on the plan to partner with the Virginia State Police (VSP). Cumberland becomes a tenant on the VSP radio system, using their network. Cumberland has purchased all of the needed equipment, but there are no new radio towers needed. They will use the current towers in Cumberland, Louisa and Prince Edward for signal.
Some extra help
Finally, in other emergency news, Cumberland supervisors accepted a donation during their Jan. 14 meeting. The Powhatan Moose Lodge gave the Emergency Services Department a check for $2,500. Supervisors accepted the request from staff to allocate the money to buy furniture, which will be used in the livable space of the Rescue Squad building. The space is occupied by volunteers and paid staff of the department.