Having recently clarified that the Carroll County Emergency Services Board does not have the authority to overturn the suspension of a volunteer, the Carroll County Board of Supervisors further defined the role of the ESB’s responsibilities during its Jan. 11 meeting.

On Nov. 12 of last year, the ESB voted 4-0 in favor of reinstating suspended firefighter Roger Hawthorne to the Hillsville Volunteer Fire Department. Four days later, County Administrator Gary Larrowe told Carroll supervisors that did not change Hawthorne’s suspension from being on or operating Carroll County equipment. Later in the meeting, it was noted that the ESB could make recommendations, but personnel decisions “were out of their realm.”

During the Carroll supervisors’ January meeting, the board unanimously passed new responsibilities for the ESB along with a new name — the Carroll County Emergency Services Advisory Board. The purpose of the new board is “to advise and make recommendations to the Directory of Emergency Services that will enhance the operations of the Department of Emergency Services through a planning process that allows for ESB member, volunteer agency, staff and citizen input for improved emergency operations of the county.”

New responsibilities include planning in conjunction with the Emergency Services Director and staff for current and future needs of the department in the areas of facilities, technology, vehicles and equipment. The ESB will also review policy amendments in those areas and make recommendations and/or suggestions to the Director, who will present those to the county administrator and the Board of Supervisors for potential action and review. Included with the new changes will be quarterly, instead of monthly, meetings. The ESAB will have its first quarterly meeting under its new name in March.

After hearing from Larrowe about those changes, Board of Supervisors’ Chairman Wes Hurst asked for comments from Andy Jackson and Manus McMillian, the two supervisors who also serve on the ESB.

“When we first came into the office one of our common goals was to have job description with employees of Carroll County. We made it a point to place board members in key areas of different agencies and on other advisory boards,” McMillian said. “But I think one thing that needs to be highlighted and underscored is that it is an advisory board and it is in that capacity — as advisory.”

From the very beginning, Jackson said there has never been a clear outline of the ESB’s objectives. He felt that caused a lot of confusion for members of that board.

“The criteria that is listed on this doesn’t pertain to some of the things that caused most of our confusion there, which as we look back at it, as an advisory board we don’t get into personnel issues and other issues that the Board of Supervisors does,” Jackson said. “I wondered for the last six months why we were meeting so often with no new business.”

Even with quarterly meetings, Jackson said the Emergency Services Advisory Board could call a special meeting whenever something comes up that needs to be addressed immediately.

“Being able to call a meeting I hope would suffice to take care of that time period. Personally I have been thankful for this with the changes added with the name and all,” Jackson said. “I would like to see us implement this so everybody knows exactly what is expected of them and it is in writing where it is clear and you are not assuming things.”

Those changes didn’t sit as well with other supervisors, particularly Sam Dickson.

“It seems to me we have got the cart before the horse,” said Dickson, who also wanted to know when the proposed changes were put in place.

Larrowe said he developed the list over the Christmas holidays along with two other staff members. Dickson said he didn’t know of any other boards or county agencies that met quarterly. He said you could always cancel a monthly meeting if there were nothing to discuss.

“We evidently have a problem in the emergency services department. It is pretty obvious to that because things seem to be going wrong,” Dickson said.

If Carroll has an emergency services board, Dickson said it doesn’t need to have its hands tied, otherwise such a board wouldn’t be needed anyway.

To explain the history of the Emergency Services Board, Larrowe said in the past the captains and chiefs of the fire departments and rescue squads came together and worked on issues.

“There seemed to be a will that there needed to be another group who was not necessarily connected to fire and rescue departments even though they have representation on there. And that is how the Emergency Services Board was formed as a result of that,” Larrowe said. “(At a recent meeting) fire and rescue came in and they requested to go back to having chiefs and captains meet on a monthly basis. So as a result of their request and trying to satisfy that need, then the Emergency Services Board actually suggested that they set up a group and meet on a monthly basis. That is taking place now and is working well by all indications. So it has taken several twists and turns throughout the time — it started out in one spot, ended up transitioning into another, and now is back to where it was originally.”

Dickson said he asked the captains and chiefs why they quit having meetings. Dickson said the answer he got they because it was turning into complaint sessions.

“They just did away with that and then the Emergency Services Board was put into operation. Certain members were appointed by their districts and others weren’t, but then they never called a meeting because they couldn’t figure out a date when everybody could be there is what I was told,” Dickson said. “This went on for months. So at my request they did schedule a meeting and most of them showed up. I don’t think if I requested it they probably would never have had a meeting — they would just keep saying they could never find a date. I don’t know whether we can address the concerns with this, but maybe when they meet in March it can be decided.”

Larrowe noted that other county agencies meet on a quarterly basis, such as the tourism committee. If more meetings were necessary, special meetings could always be called, Jackson noted. The new responsibilities could also be amended for the board to meet more frequently if necessary, Supervisor Tom Littrell added.

Jackson then made a motion to approve the changes, which McMillian seconded.

“I think what they are tying to set forth in this is the fact that this is an advisory board, that they do not pass down judgment as a board on folks,” McMillian said.

Jackson said he felt like any confusion would have been avoided if the responsibilities had been spelled out from the beginning.

“Not having the information I feel like is a major cause of the confusion,” Jackson said.

The board then passed the new changes unanimously, although Dickson still expressed concern with his vote.

“I vote yes but I figure some meetings are better than none,” he said.