PIERRE, S.D. – Many emergency services across South Dakota are having budget and volunteer staffing problems.
Custer County Commission Chairman Jim Lintz appeared in front of the Game, Fish and Parks Commission (Thursday) with a familiar complaint.
“We’re running out of volunteers. One of the reasons we’re running out of volunteers is because of the demand that comes with an increasing population,” Lintz said. “The Custer Volunteer Fire Department went on two calls a day last summer – all with volunteers. Hermosa became a paid department five or six years ago because we were experiencing too many calls to handle it all with volunteers.”
See: Lack of Emergency Services Man Power Across the State
Lintz says the costs to the county are rising.
“While serving as a medic, I went out on 125 calls the last year I was involved and before they went with a district. Now they are going out on 350 calls. There are four people now with a man in Keystone and Hermosa and it’s been very successful. But guess what the cost is? The budget last year was $550,000.
Lintz says the Game, Fish and Parks Department is not paying enough for the emergency services the park receives.
“We just contracted with the City of Hermosa for law enforcement. They are paying us $80,000 for a deputy. You folks are paying Custer County $8,000 for a deputy. Hermosa has 500 people. But we provide services for over two million people in the summer time for Custer State Park. I think there’s a discrepancy there. I’m not even asking for what the average taxpayer in Custer County pays. I’m just asking for a realistic view of what our costs are.”
Lintz appeared during the public comment part of the meeting. The commission took no action.
