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Union Rescue and local volunteers ask commissioners to protect volunteer EMS amid county system changes
Summary
During public comment Pender County volunteer EMS leaders urged commissioners to preserve and support volunteer rescue services while the county evaluates a new countywide EMS system; commissioners said they want cooperation between volunteer services and the county.
Several representatives of Union Rescue and other volunteer emergency services addressed the Pender County Board of Commissioners during the public-comment period on April 7, urging the board to protect volunteer responders as the county considers system changes.
Union Rescue leaders and longtime volunteers praised commissioners for taking steps the presenters said were necessary to protect taxpayers, but asked the board to be mindful of volunteer organizations’ continued role and to avoid measures that would harm volunteer recruitment and retention.
"Since the inception of Union Rescue Squad ... we have saved this county by our volunteers approximately $25,000,000 of volunteer service," said Chief Diane Giddens, identifying long-term service and the squad’s role in local emergency response. Giddens asked commissioners to "lean our minds to our volunteers within the county…Let's try to protect them as much as we possibly can."
Speakers from Union Rescue described years of volunteer service, requested opportunities to host commissioners for site visits, and asked the board to consider the organizational capacity and debt-free financial posture of the volunteer agency. Several commissioners thanked the volunteers and asked staff and agency leaders to work together to avoid escalating confrontation between volunteer and county-run services.
Commissioner Jimmy Tate, newly sworn in the same evening, urged cooperation and said he expected the chief executives of both volunteer agencies to "come together" and work with the county. Tate said the commission is committed to ensuring both entities can serve the public effectively.
No formal action was taken during public comment, but commissioners directed staff and the respective chiefs to continue communications and to schedule follow-up engagement, including invitations for commissioners to tour facilities and attend agency meetings.
