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Emergency crews work to curb holiday crime with limited staffing

"This entire year has shown the largest spike in violent crimes and murders that we have seen in many years," officials say, as many departments remain understaffed.

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, S.C. — It's a busy time for emergency personnel working to keep families safe this holiday, as crime continues but personnel remains in short supply.

Daniel Sloan of Fairfield County EMS said they're down about five workers. A hit the small service is managing, despite calls increasing by roughly 19 percent.

Some are more common than others as travel increases for the holidays.

RELATED: Lexington County Emergency Services in need of more first responders

"We’re having a lot more car accidents with injuries and falls because we have people putting up Christmas lights and falling," Deputy Director Sloan said.

Other calls include shootings and assaults, and it's not just in Fairfield County.

In a statement to News19, the State Law Enforcement Officers Association said, "We normally have increases in thefts and domestic situations over the holiday season. Unfortunately, this entire year has shown the largest spike in violent crimes and murders that we have seen in many years."

Many law enforcement agencies are facing the issue with limited personnel, due in-part to an aging workforce, the association said.

RELATED: Murder up 22%, violent crime increased 6% in South Carolina in 2020, SLED reports

EMS workers are experiencing a similar trend, with shortages reported around the state. Still, like Fairfield County, they're finding ways to cope.

"It makes it harder on our crews," Deputy Director Sloan said. "We've started programs with DHEC where we're actually allowed to have firefighters that we train as emergency medical responders to actually crew our ambulances with our paramedic that way we can keep another ambulance on the road, but there hasn’t been any affect to our ability to respond to emergencies…. Be safe, and if you need us, we’ll definitely be there for them.”

While some emergency workers have seen a decrease in COVID-related calls, law enforcement agencies, including in Lexington and Richland Counties say it's not uncommon to see more robberies during this time of year.

Residents are encouraged to be vigilant this holiday by locking their cars and hiding valuables. 

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