Scotland County Rescue Squad seeks heavy rescue capabilities

LAURINBURG — David Laviner would like to see the Scotland County Rescue Squad become a heavy-rescue-certified agency before his tenure as chief is complete in 10 months.

“I started this process Jan. 9 of 1994,” Laviner told the Scotland County Board of Commissioners on Monday. “The third Monday night of October of this year, I am done with emergency services in Scotland County [after] almost 32 years … My time is up.

“That is one thing I would like to see done and completed before the end of my tenure. In order to do that I need your support. I need the city’s support to be able to utilize the funds that are already there, that are already encumbered. I just need to repurpose and retitle those funds.”

The board of commissioners granted Laviner his request after unanimously authorizing the reallocation of $50,000 line item on the Rescue Squads budget for the purchase of heavy rescue equipment. He also needs the same approval from the Laurinburg City Council.

Laviner said the citizens of Scotland County are in urgent need of a heavy rescue-certified technical rescue agency.

“We are prepared to move forward to get that certification. We are a little bit short on equipment,” Laviner told commissioners.

When asked who currently does the squad’s heavy rescue, Laviner said “We do the best we can with what we got.”

In his presentation, Laviner also made his case for the squad’s other needs as commissioners prepare to begin budget talks. Laviner requested an “adequate” facility to house the squad. Laviner also requested that funds be directed into the squad’s account to allow them to operate more efficiently.

Laviner said as it stands, Scotland County is funded 50/50 by the City and County with the city directly making purchases on behalf of the squad and the county reimbursing the city 50%.

Laviner also sought funding to reimburse volunteers for response.

In June, the county commissioners voted to allow the Scotland County Fire Commission to raise the operating budget of each fire department by $18,000, which would cost the county $108,000 a year. The money allowed volunteer firefighters to get paid $10 a call for 50 calls per year.

Laviner said he believes this is the reason the he is critically low on members responding to emergencies and I need some help in that regard.”

“As of recently we are down to 12 members and that is a reduction of 12 members from 24 to 12 shortly after this board made the decision to start paying fire departments and the we were no longer paid so I can’t help but draw a direct correlation between the two that when people can’t get the compensation and everyone else gives, it makes it easy for them to make their decision,” Laviner said.

Commissioner Tim Ivey said the board needed one thing from Laviner before a decision could be made on what to fund the rescue squad, an exact amount on what is needed.

In other business, the commissioners:

— A voted to authorize the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office to purchase two transport vehicles for $48,000 each using funds from an Inmate Trust Fund.

— Approved a request from Laurel Crest Solar, LLC to rezone a parcel of land on Gillis Road in Laurel Hill from a Residential Agricultural to a Conditional Zoning District for the construction of solar arrays.

—Granted a special-use permit to Laurel Crest Solar, LLC to increase the number of solar arrays constructed South of Old Wire Road in Laurel Hill from 100 to 560.

— Approved a request from T’Randa Marshall to rezone a parcel of land in East Laurinburg to residential agriculture to place a mobile home on the property.

—Approved a request from Church in the Pines to rezone a parcel of land on Ida Chapel Road in Laurel Hill from an R1-Single Family to R1-RMH to allow the placement of mobile homes.