North Carolina Emergency Crews Plan Merger

Jul. 13--Brunswick County Emergency Management Services wants to join forces with the Shallotte Rescue Squad, and county emergency services officials hope to have a merger plan for county commissioners to approve by its Aug. 6 monthly meeting.

The Shallotte Rescue Squad approached the county's emergency management services in April about the possibility of the county taking over the squad. Brian Watts, the county's EMS division director, said those talks have advanced to the point of both groups aiming to present the merger to the county in August.

"This is actually a blessing in disguise," Watts said and added that his daily analysis of ambulance calls showed that Shallotte was in need of a permanent, paramedic-level unit.

He said county commissioners have recently allocated money for four new ambulance employees: half of what is needed for a new ambulance unit. "I immediately have a place to put this ambulance."

But the merger has strings attached: The county will inherit about $750,000 in debt accrued by the rescue squad due to "overextending themselves financially," Watts said.

With the merger, the county will receive a recently purchased $400,000 rescue truck; three ambulance units; and a new, 11,000-square-foot ambulance facility with five drive-through bays, a large training room, two bunk rooms, an exercise room, a large kitchen, a day room and office space.

Shallotte Town Administrator Paul Sabiston said town officials support the merger.

"If they're coming from Shallotte, that will cut down on the response time," Sabiston said in reference to having a paramedic-level ambulance permanently in town. "We'll have better coverage and still involve the people of the Shallotte Rescue Squad."

In 2006, the Shallotte Rescue Squad -- made up of up to 15 members -- was dispatched to about 4,500 calls. It responded to 2,377 of those calls, according to county figures. The county's ambulance squad responds to all ambulance calls and therefore was at each of the 4,500 calls.

The Shallotte Rescue Squad currently provides what is termed "EMT Intermediate" coverage, meaning its members are able to provide basic emergency needs, administer CPR, distribute 12 different medicines and start intravenous therapy.

The paramedic unit that the county will bring to Shallotte does all of those things, plus will be able to perform emergency procedures that are traditionally done within the first half hour of an emergency room visit.

Along with providing a paramedic unit and reducing the response time to calls, the county will provide Shallotte Rescue members with training to help advance their careers and it will provide financial oversight for the squad.

"We're doing what we have to do to manage this growth," Watts said.

"We want to deliver the services that our residents expect."

Contact JASON M. RODRIGUEZ at 910-754-9868 or jrodriguez@thesunnews.com.