About Station 10

Gates County Rescue & EMS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization listed as a public charity consisting of volunteer members and career staff that provide emergency medical care, stabilization and transport for the sick and injured, and the rescue of individuals from hazardous environments. Working jointly with six county fire departments and law enforcement agencies, we act as an integral part of emergency services by providing county-wide heavy rescue, vehicle extrication, land search and rescue, water rescue, and emergency medical services.

Gates County is located in rural Northeastern North Carolina and has a current population of 10,383 people spread over 364 square miles of mostly swamp, forest, and farm land.  Gates County is bordered to the North by the State of Virginia, to the East by Camden and Pasquotank counties, to the South by Perquimans and Chowan counties, and to the West by the Chowan River and Hertford County, all in North Carolina.  Major highways in the county include US Hwy 13 & NC Hwy 32 running North/South and US Hwy 158 running East/West.

Medical emergencies in Gates County typically evoke a response from Emergency Medical Services (EMS).  Gates County is served by one EMS agency that provides Advanced Life Support at the Paramedic level of care.  Gates County Rescue & EMS is located in Gatesville, NC and has 24-hour primary 911 responsibility for incidents requiring Emergency Medical Care.  Additionally, Gates County Rescue & EMS provides non-emergency, convalescent, and arranged medical transports. Staffing is done with a combination of volunteer and paid employees. Units are maintained at a minimum staffing of two crews 24 hours a day and as many as four crews during peak hours as the schedule demands.

Emergency calls are received through Perquimans-Gates Communications, located in Perquimans County, they are triaged using Emergency Medical Dispatch protocols and then dispatched through a repeated, two-way radio system. Gates County Rescue & EMS oversees, coordinates, and directs all EMS and patient-related activities in Gates County. This includes establishing system expectations and goals, the assignment of response units, establishing operational procedures, coordinating all EMS QA programs, and overseeing HIPAA/OSHA compliance with all providers as it relates to emergency medical services.

Total annual call volume is approximately 2,200 incidents, both emergent and non-emergent originating within the county.  Gates County Rescue & EMS providers transport emergency traffic to five (5) area hospitals. Hospital selection is typically based on patient preference but ultimate control is placed with the attendant caring for the patient(s). The 5 area hospitals include: Sentara Obici Hospital in Suffolk, VA; ECU Health Roanoke-Chowan Hospital in Ahoskie, NC; Sentara Albemarle Medical Center in Elizabeth City, NC;  ECU Health Chowan Hospital in Edenton, NC; and Bon Secours Southampton Medical Center in Franklin, VA.  Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, VA is the primary Level One Trauma and Burn Center as well as Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI) capable hospital, patients may also be transported to Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, VA, a level two trauma center and Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center in Portsmouth, VA also a (PCI) capable hospital.

Additionally, ambulances routinely transport to various other dialysis clinics, physician offices, and medical complexes throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

Medical Control for Gates County is provided by Sentara Albemarle Medical Center in Elizabeth City, NC. The medical director is currently Dr. James Wilson.

There are four (4) Specialty Care Transport Providers (SCTP) that are utilized in Gates County. Sentara Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance based out of Norfolk, VA; ECU Health "Eastcare" based out of  Greenville, NC; Life-Evac based in Petersburg, VA and Dare Med Flight based in Maneto, NC.