Cabarrus County commissioners will vote on dissolving Squad 410, a firefighter unit that has aided local volunteers since 2017.
CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. โ Cabarrus County commissioners are expected to vote Monday on whether to eliminate Fire Squad 410, a supplemental firefighter unit that has bolstered emergency response capacity for volunteer fire departments across the county since 2017.
County officials confirmed the proposal is on the agenda for the June 1 Work Session and that affected employees were personally notified on Thursday, May 28. If approved, the squad’s final day of service would be Oct. 29.
Squad 410 operates within the Fire Services Division of Cabarrus County Emergency Management as what officials describe as a supplemental “manpower” unit, dispatching alongside volunteer departments to provide additional personnel at structure fires and other emergency incidents where staffing is stretched thin.
County management said the decision is not driven by budget shortfalls or employee performance concerns. Instead, officials cited an evolution in local fire service staffing as the primary justification.
“When the squad started nearly a decade ago in 2017, it was in direct response to staffing issues at local volunteer fire departments, particularly during regular work hours,” a county spokesperson said in a written statement. “As the years passed, more departments decided to bring on paid staff members to cover those shifts.”
Officials framed the move as an effort to “streamline operations and reduce duplication of services while maintaining the county’s commitment to efficient, effective emergency services,” adding that no other county employees would be impacted by the decision.
The squad employs a mix of full- and part-time county workers. If the measure passes, county officials said they will partner with Rowan-Cabarrus Community College to provide affected employees with job placement resources, resume support and other opportunities in emergency services. Workers would also be eligible to apply for other open positions within Cabarrus County Government, and would have five months to transition before their last shift.
Questions have emerged over how the elimination of the unit could affect response times and coverage across Cabarrus County, particularly in areas that have historically relied on Squad 410’s supplemental staffing. County officials did not directly address whether existing departments would be expected to absorb the additional call volume.
The county commissioners are scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Governmental Center, Commissioners Meeting Room, 65 Church Street S, Concord, NC.ย
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