>>Southern Virginia Counties Forced to Replace Volunteer w/ Paid Fire-Rescue Crews
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(Mount Cross VA) - Volunteer EMS services are dropping like flies in southern Virginia. Charley O'Brian reports.....Preview: ###
(voicer) - In southern Virginia.....Preview: Paid EMS is costly but declining volunteerism means pay may be the only way to staff EMS services in some southern Virginia counties. The state health department says there are 552 licensed EMS agencies in Virginia and 139 combine volunteer with paid staff. The combination model comes with big benefits -- improved staffing, more consistent and reliable response to EMS calls, shorter response times, and more flexibility for EMS responders. I'm Charley O'Brian.