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 five county fire departments and law enforcement agencies, we act as an integral part of emergency services by providing county-wide 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.
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 or Technical Rescue Services. Additionally, Gates County Rescue & EMS provides non-emergency, convalescent, and prearranged medical transports. Staffing is achieved with a combination of volunteer and paid employees. Staffing is maintained at a minimum of one Captain (Paramedic) and one Medic unit 24 hours a day and as many as five Medic units during peak hours as the schedule demands. Full-Time career staff work a 24/72 rotation.
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 however their current goal is to start providing this service in July 2018. Gates County Rescue & EMS oversees, coordinates, and directs all Rescue and EMS 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 rescue and 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 is affiliated with the Eastern Regional Advisory Committee overseen by the Trauma Department at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, NC. Due to the geographical area providers transport emergency traffic to five (5) area hospitals. Hospital selection is weighted by the condition of the patient and patient preference but ultimate control is placed with the lead provider caring for the patient(s). The 5 area hospitals include: Sentara Albemarle Medical Center in Elizabeth City, NC; Sentara Obici Hospital in Suffolk, 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 due to the distance to any facility in NC capable of providing the same level of care.
Additionally, ambulances routinely transport to various other dialysis clinics, physician offices, and medical complexes throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
Online Medical Direction for Gates County is provided by Sentara Albemarle Medical Center in Elizabeth City, NC. The current OMD is Dr. James A. Wilson.
There are three (3) 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; and Life-Evac based in Petersburg, VA.
Call Volume by year
2010 to (most recent month end)
2010 – 1414
2011 – 1511
2012 – 1581
2013 – 1885
2014 – 3303
2015 – 3102
2016 – 2350
2017 – 2475
2018 – 2512
2019 – 2610
2020 – 2841
2021 – 2240
2022 – 373
