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 11,650 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 EMT-Paramedic (EMT-P) 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 or Technical Rescue Services.  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 one crew 24 hours a day and as many as five crews and a supervisor during peak hours as the schedule demands.

Emergency calls are received through Gates County Central Communications, located in the Gates County Courthouse, and dispatched through a repeated, two-way radio system. At this time, the communications center is not EMD capable. 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 2,500 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 Albemarle Medical Center in Elizabeth City, NC;  Sentara Obici Hospital in Suffok, VA; Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital in Ahoskie, NC; Vidant Chowan Hospital in Edenton, NC; and Southampton Memorial Hospital in Franklin, VA.  Gates County Rescue & EMS uses Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, VA as our primary trauma and burn center.

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. Samantha Furia.

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; Vidant Eastcare based out of  Greenville, NC; Air Methods Air Mobile One based out of Rocky Mount, NC; and Life-Evac based in Petersburg, VA.