Whiteville Police, Fire seeks funding for additional staff

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The city of Whiteville has several agencies requesting more money for additional staff following a city council budget meeting earlier this week.   

WWAY spoke with several first responders to see what budget requests are being made. 

Whiteville’s Police and Fire departments are calling on city officials to fund more personnel within the public safety department.   

Whiteville Police Chief Doug Ipock recommended the addition of five positions to ensure it can properly serve and protect the city’s citizens. He said the department is doing its best to handle the understaffing but said it’s not by choice.   

“We’re still answering all the calls for service, we’re still meeting objectives of the community. But, giving us some extra staffing will allow us to be more proactive, allow us to spend more time in the communities doing more proactive policing measures within the community instead of being more reactive,” Ipock said. 

Whiteville Fire said it is operating its station with just two firefighters per shift which has them relying on volunteers and off-duty employees. Fire Chief David Yergeau said he’s requesting three additional firefighters. 

“We don’t have enough personnel everyday really to do a proper job and that’s where the three additional people would, it won’t bring us up to where we should be, but it will help get us there eventually,” Yergeau said. 

 “I should not really be helping pull hose, hook up hydrates, force entry’s and all that. But at times, I do it because we’ve only got two people and we’ve got to get certain tasks done.”  

Unlike the fire and police departments, Columbus County Emergency Services said they’re facing short staffing not because of money but because of the lack of applicants for the job.  

“The money was an issue, but our commissioners have worked real hard at helping them get to where they need to be. It’s still a work in progress. But it’s just the bodies. We need bodies and we’re just not getting the applicants to come in the door,” Columbus County Emergency Services Director David Ransom said. 

Ransom said the department is currently down five telecommunicators. 

In addition to increased staffing, Whiteville Fire said additional funding would be used for updated equipment.