Emergency response challenges brought to forefront

Fire departments around the county have reached critically low staffing levels resulting in delayed responses to emergencies according to Socorro County Emergency Manager and Fire Marshal Fred Berger.

“Not only do firefighters do the obvious, putting out fires, they also respond to a wide range of other emergencies such as traffic accidents, hazardous material spills and natural disasters,” Berger said during his report at the county commission meeting on Nov. 10

Firefighters have many duties including equipment and building maintenance, fire prevention and public outreach, he said. Volunteers cannot staff a fire house and are only available during their non-working hours which leaves a response gap during the day. Aging volunteer firefighters is part of the issue, he said.

“This puts public safety in jeopardy, unfortunately volunteer fire departments all around the country are seeing significant decline in the number of volunteers,” Berger said.

To address the issue, Berger said he hopes to develop an integrated fire department of paid and volunteer employees. He applied for and was awarded a grant from the New Mexico Department of Finance in the amount of $150,000 to be used only to hire full time firefighters and emergency medical technician positions.

The grant is only for fiscal year 2026 and all money that is not used will need to be returned, said Berger.

“There needs to be a commitment by the county to find new funding to continue these two positions after the grants funds are used,” Berger said, “Fire departments are having to evolve to the changing times and Socorro County must move forward by being proactive in our thinking to meet the public safety needs of our citizens.”

Public Input

Marty Greenwood, a resident of County Road 234, asked the county to consider pursuing a right of away easement from the Forest Service so residents can work with the county rather than the forest service when blading is needed.

Chanda Vigil told commissioners she was concerned about the drug problems and crime rate in the county. She said the county is going “downhill every single day” without a plan of action. She said the situation is embarrassing and some county departments look like a laughing joke.

“We deserve as residents and community members to have a better reputation that can be taken more seriously because it’s really sad to be looked at in like such a pathetic way,” Vigil said.

Recognition

Miss Alamo Sharayah Secatero and Miss Teen Alamo Keola Padilla were presented with a proclamation from the county recognizing their leadership, cultural representation and community service.

Eric Spargo was recognized by the county assessors office for his New Mexico Certified Appraiser Certification. County Assessor Julie Griego congratulated Spargo and said the classes are very challenging and require a lot of dedication to achieve.

Other Business

Commissioners approved a joint Schmittle Road project agreement with the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD), the PHI Air Ambulance contract and the authority to make the appointment of a producer/non governmental member to the County Livestock Loss Authority (CLLA).

The county manager hiring process along with the appointment of Joe Gonzales, county chair to serve as interim manager without compensation was also formally approved. Andrew Lotrich was terminated from his position as county manager in a special meeting on Oct. 30.

The next meeting is 5 p.m. on Dec. 9 at the County Annex I.