The Bristol Life Saving Crew (LSC) has warned the Bristol, Virginia City Council that they might need to shut down operations soon.

LSC Paramedic Curtis Mink has worked there in some capacity for 49 years. He said that the service’s funds are all but depleted.

“Our billing and collections from last year really highlight the issue,” stated Mink. “We ended up with bills close to $37,000. Without our reserve funds, we wouldn’t have been able to survive the past year.”

He suggested taking smaller amounts from other city funds or the city contributing in smaller ways to help get them through the year.

“Why can’t we address small needs like that?” Mink questioned. “Perhaps cover our gas expenses, which run about $20,000 to $21,000 annually. Just small contributions to help us remain operational throughout the year.”

According to the city’s Vice Mayor Jake Holmes, Tuesday’s meeting was the first the council had heard of these issues.

“It was kind of out of the blue,” Holmes said. “Like I said before, we had we had heard that there might be issues in the past. They had gotten some new leadership, some new folks on board in the last year or so that have, done a lot of improvements and righted a lot of issues. But still, the 90-day window was kind of surprising.”

Holmes said he hopes to keep the LSC, which has served the community for over 70 years, in service.

“Best case scenario, lifesaving crew continues on and continues to serve the citizens of Bristol.”

But, Holmes said the city’s first priority is to the people of Bristol, and they’ll make sure emergency calls are answered regardless.

“However, at the end of the day, those calls will be answered,” Holmes said. “The city will ensure that our citizens are taken care of.”

Mink and Holmes both said they plan on meeting next week, along with other council members and the fire chief, to discuss different options for the Life Saving Crew.