Dispute over Union Rescue contract and Pender EMS arrangement raises service and timing questions
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Summary
Union Rescue officials and the county exchanged conflicting representations about a contract and station staffing. Union Rescue Chief Diane Giddens said she was told service would change and that Union could be removed from Pender EMS subcontracting; commissioners pressed staff for clarity and options for continuity of paramedic-level service.
A July 28 special meeting of the Pender County Board of Commissioners included extended public comment and commissioner discussion about emergency medical services after Union Rescue Squad representatives said they received notice that Pender EMS planned to end Union’s subcontracting relationship.
Union Rescue Chief Diane Giddens told the board she learned informally that Pender EMS planned to remove Union Rescue from its subcontract and that Union would be asked to vacate a station assigned to them as soon as the following morning. Giddens said she had been told a “quick response vehicle” (QRV) or transport unit would be placed at Penderlea Fire Department and that Union Rescue would continue to respond with a basic (non-transport) unit while a contract with the county was finalized; she said she had not received a copy of the termination letter that others had referenced.
“Without a contract, we cannot” move an ambulance or continue transport service, Giddens told the board. She said she had spoken with Pender EMS leadership about temporary QRV support but that she lacked a signed contract with the county to maintain operations.
Commissioners, Union Rescue and county staff described overlapping, but separate, processes. County staff said Pender EMS is the system-planned EMS provider and that Pender EMS currently subcontracts with Union Rescue; the county does not directly direct Pender EMS’s subcontracting decisions. If the board wished to contract directly with Union Rescue as a county contractor, staff said it could place the item on a future agenda and pursue a county contract, but that would not change a private subcontracting decision by Pender EMS.
County staff also discussed the state Office of EMS (OEMS) system-plan process. Staff said an amended system plan that named a different provider or added a subcontractor would require state approval and that OEMS estimated roughly a 30-day process for a system-plan revision; the county contract under discussion would include a 90-day grace period for staffing and compliance. The county attorney reiterated the distinction between a Pender EMS subcontract and a county-level contract tied to the EMS system plan.
Commissioners repeatedly urged clarity and timely resolution. One commissioner said the county had been in discussions about a contract since May and that staff was awaiting budget numbers. Commissioners and Union Rescue agreed that continuity of paramedic-level service for Penderlea and Willard areas was a priority; staff assured the board that paramedic-level service would continue while the county and Pender EMS worked through options.
Union Rescue representatives and other speakers asked for better notice and involvement in discussions they said had taken place without their participation. Several commissioners said they too were surprised by the timing of notices and asked staff to provide clearer communications to district commissioners when matters affect their constituents.
County staff outlined options: (1) ask the board to place a county contract with Union Rescue on a future agenda (the August 4 agenda was mentioned), or (2) rely on Pender EMS’s subcontracting decisions and pursue a system-plan revision for state approval if the board chose to name a different provider. Staff said the system-plan revision would likely take 30 days for state review and that the proposed county contract includes a 90-day compliance/grace period.
The board directed staff to pursue clarification and to place contract-related items on the August 4 agenda. Commissioners asked that staff provide copies of letters and communications referenced in public comments and to coordinate with Pender EMS, Union Rescue and OEMS to avoid service interruptions.
No final contract award or termination was made by the board at the July 28 meeting; commissioners sought more information and asked staff to return with formal documentation and options for the August 4 meeting.
End note: The public discussion highlighted operational dependency on private subcontracting decisions, the state system-plan approval timeline, and the political and communication challenges of coordinating EMS coverage during contract transitions.
