Darlington County Council unworried about emergency services director's retirement

Don’t worry — that was the message. Darlington County Sheriff Wayne Byrd’s concerns about the upcoming retirement of Darlington County Emergency Medical Services Director Robbin Brock during hurricane season were rebuffed by Darlington County Council on Monday night.

Byrd sought to ensure a smooth transition of emergency services, which would be called into urgent action in the event of a catastrophe or hurricane, commanding critical logistics operations.

“This is of great concern to me as sheriff and should be of concern to county council as well as to anyone in the county,” Byrd said of Brock’s final day July 31.

County Administrator Phyllis Griffitts quickly ensured that a transition plan was already in place. Brock’s job in essence is divided between emergency preparedness duties and handling the county’s EMS operations. After the meeting, two department heads following Brock in the chain of command, Special Programs Coordinator Mac McDonald associated with emergency preparedness and Training Manager Lynwood Epps with EMS, both emphasized that the county would be in good hands until a permanent replacement for Brock was found.

There would be no vacuum at the top.

“Personally, I hate to see him go, but he has prepared us for (his leaving), and we will step up,” Epps said.

McDonald said that he understood Brock’s decision to retire now.

Change is tough but part of life.

“I’m from the military, where every 18 months I have a new boss,” McDonald said.

Moving on to other council business, longtime district 12 (Byrdtown) fire chief Larry Stegner was recognized for more than 30 years of fire protection service. He still keeps his pager tucked at his side. Stegner can’t stop answering fire calls cold turkey (he’s currently volunteering for the Dovesville station).

During the council meeting, Darlington County Fire District Chief David Williamson presented Stegner with a plaque acknowledging his many years of service, saying Stegner exhibited a “rare and priceless courage” as a dedicated servant for the public.

Outside the meeting, Stegner looked back on his tenure. When asked about his most memorable fires, he recalled multiple fires at Darlington Shredding Company that took considerable time from multiple agencies to extinguish. It was the teamwork that stood out for him.

“It was a very rewarding time; I met a lot of very nice people in Darlington County — they made a difference in the county,” Stegner said. “I worked with some county council members who had a vision of a countywide district.”

Included among his colleagues was current council member Dannie Douglas, who was Stegner’s first assistant fire chief out of Dovesville. Stegner said it was time to move on to other things.

“My youngest daughter was two years old when I got into the fire service in Darlington County,” he said. “It’s time to spend some time with my wife, children and grandchildren.”

Stegner is married to Marsha, and together they have two daughters.

Also on the agenda was citizen Tracey Williamson of Byrdtown, who had asked to speak to council about crime problems in her community and perhaps about the need for a curfew to keep teenagers off the street after hours. But following conversations with the sheriff’s office, additional patrols had quelled much of the loitering-inspired issues, and instead she simply called on authorities to keep up the good work.

Later, councilmember Anne Warr brought up another issue — the loss of about $1,738,000 in federal funds from the coffers of the Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments (COG) through the Workforce Investment Act. The budget snipping would directly impact services that help unemployed residents find and train for work. The agency was scrambling to fund activities already under way.

In more positive news, Warr added that the county would be eligible to apply for about $700,000 in new grants earmarked for spending that promoted energy efficient practices.