The Mt. Cross Volunteer Fire and Rescue Board of Directors voted unanimously on March 25 to relinquish its role as a first responder in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and focus solely on fire service.

The change will not affect the level of service for those within the Mt. Cross service area as the following fire and rescue agencies currently provide Emergency Medical Service (EMS) response and transport: Tunstall, Bachelors Hall, Mt. Hermon and the Danville Life Saving Crew. Pittsylvania County Public Safety also provides EMS service to this area as well.

The change becomes effective at 5 pm on Sunday, June 30, 2024. The 90-day notice is designed to provide a smooth transition for neighboring agencies and the community.

Mt. Cross currently responds to about 300 fire and EMS calls a year, or less than one call a day and has historically served as a secondary first responder within its service area.

The reason for this decision is two-fold.

First, Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) rules and procedures, now being fully implemented, concerning the storage and handling of controlled substances, has put an unsustainable financial burden on smaller agencies such as Mt. Cross, according to Bryan Fox, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Mt. Cross.

The second reason stems from the difficulty in finding and training willing volunteers, as current economic conditions make it difficult for young families to spare the time and expense necessary to complete the lengthy EMS training required for certification.