Wilkes County commissioners terminate rescue contract after year-long ALS suspension

The Wilkes County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on May 6 to terminate the county’s Sept. 20, 2011 contract with Wilkes Rescue Squad after county attorneys and medical leadership concluded the squad remained unable to provide advanced life-support (ALS) services required under the agreement.

County Attorney Tony Triplett told the board the County sent a March 26, 2025 notice citing paragraph 14 of the contract and saying “the Rescue Squad is in breach thereof” because the squad’s ALS/paramedic authorization was indefinitely suspended in September–October 2024 by Wilkes County Medical Director Lance Henninger. Triplett said that suspension left the squad unable to meet the contract’s requirement to furnish ‘‘back-up assistance to Wilkes County EMS’’ at the paramedic or ALS level.

‘‘In September and October of 2024, Dr. Lance Henninger . . . indefinitely suspended the Rescue Squad’s authorization to operate for advanced life support ALS level,’’ Triplett read. ‘‘Authorization to operate at the ALS level has not been regained . . . and accordingly, the Rescue Squad remains in breach of the contract at this time.’’

Henninger earlier read his Sept. 11, 2024 letter into the record placing Wilkes Rescue Squad’s ‘‘patient care status at the Advance Life Support level on pause’’ pending a plan to return the agency to compliance with the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services (NCOEMS) and county medical direction. Henninger said the pause included standbys—such as football games and other public events—until the squad could reliably provide the same ALS-level services available elsewhere in the county.

EMS Director Jason Reavis told the board that the squad’s roster and staffing had been largely unchanged since the suspension and that, this spring, the squad often averaged roughly three responders and one apparatus per call. Reavis said local fire departments and Wilkes EMS have been filling gaps; he estimated additional overtime and coverage costs tied to the suspension at roughly $12,000–$15,000 since September 2024.

Commissioners described the decision as a response to an ongoing contractual shortfall and public-safety concern. Commissioner Hardin Kennedy, who moved to terminate the contract, said the action was about honoring a contract the county is paying for but not receiving. The motion to terminate was seconded by Vice Chairman Bill Sexton and carried on a 5–0 vote.

County Attorney Triplett and others noted termination under the existing contract ends the county’s obligation to continue payments beyond a pro-rated portion of the current fiscal year; the County Manager and finance staff confirmed quarterly payments to the squad continued through the current period. Triplett said the board could negotiate a new contract in the future if the squad regains ALS authorization or for rescue-only services if the board chooses.

The board recessed briefly at 5:59 p.m. after the vote and reconvened for the remainder of the agenda. No further formal actions regarding the Wilkes Rescue Squad contract were recorded at the meeting.

Provenance: The article’s factual account is based on County Attorney Tony Triplett’s March 26, 2025 notice and Dr. Lance Henninger’s Sept. 11, 2024 suspension letter as read into the record, plus board discussion and the recorded unanimous vote to terminate the contract on May 6, 2025.