The study looked at the 25 fire departments serving Berkeley County’s roughly 211,000 people.

“We know we have problems with a lot of things, but 911 is the first and possibly the last number you’ll ever call and it’s our responsibility as Berkeley county government to make sure those resources are there,” said Gunn.

Officials hope the report will begin the change needed to constructively move ahead.

Staffed by six fire captains and firefighters/paramedics who work rotating 24-hour shifts in pairs, Squad 33 uses a custom Ford F-550 pickup equipped with a 150-gallon water tank and advanced medical equipment.

With one fire captain and one firefighter/paramedic on each shift, the set-up enables the captain to assess the scope of the emergency and request additional resources if needed.

Most of the calls in the area that the department fields — about 80 percent of them — are related to medical issues, said Frank Parra, the city’s emergency services director.