Bedford County Hopes "Hardy Step" Will Help VFDs - FOX 21/27 WFXR Roanoke/WWCW Lynchburg News, Weather

Bedford County Fire-Rescue is calling it the "Hardy Step."

It's a new strategy at the Hardy Life Saving and Rescue involving cooperation, community involvement, and running the squad more like a business.

The county is actively recruiting a new board of directors to oversee the squad's operations, a board they hope will consist of several members with business experience.

Bedford County Fire-Rescue Chief Jack Jones said the plan is in fact to run the crew more like a business, "so that the average member that runs calls is not burdened with managing the books, or trying to manage the facilities."

Right now, the Hardy Life Saving and Rescue crew has low membership and is only answering about 20 percent of its calls, Jones said.

"[What we're doing at Hardy] is a real test case in a lot of ways," Jones said.

Jones said he's confident their plan at Hardy will work, and if it does, the county will take the strategy to other volunteer departments experiencing similar issues.