Grassroots of Tarboro

Monday, June 02, 2008

TO: The Citizens of Edgecombe County
In 1972 some members from Pinetops Fire Department and South Edgecombe Rural Fire Department began talking about starting a rescue squad in the southern end of the county. Steve Burress was among this group and he contacted Edgecombe Rescue Squad and requested assistance from it's members to aid us in this endeavor. Homer Webb and Jake Pilgreen were the Edgecombe County Rescue members that responded to our request. We met and formed the Pinetops Rescue Squad. The distance and time it took for the Edgecombe Rescue Squad to get to the southern end of the county was the motivational factor that drove this process. In the beginning we operated on donations obtained from within our district and with support from the Town of Pinetops and Edgecombe County. In the beginning the only training required was 24 hours of Basic Red Cross First Aide and 12 hours of advanced First Aide and you were certified as an Ambulance Attendant. For the next decade and a half we canvassed the area once a year to ask for donations and the donations came. On one occasion I knocked on a door and an elderly lady came to the door and as soon as she saw my rescue shirt she smiled and said come in, I've been expecting you. She reached in her bra and pulled out a handkerchief and untied it and handed me 65 cents, and said "I wish I could give you more". When I got back to town later a fellow citizen approached me and said "I saw you standing on Mrs. ______'s front porch, was it worth the gas". My response was, "from what I saw in the house I would have to say she probably gave at least fifty percent of what she had in this world, are you willing to do the same"? Most of our citizens were willing to give.

Edgecombe County Commissioners wanted to have the same emergency services available to all the citizens. So an effort was made to bring into existence in the western part of the county the West Edgecombe Rescue Squad. The county commissioners were willing to pay for everything from the ambulances down to the forks and spoons that went into the new building built by the county. Now we have three rescue squads serving the county. All working on donations, but the donations are not enough to sustain the service. So the County Commissioners started to look at going to a process were the citizens that are transported would be charged a fee. I was asked to go to Tarboro and meet with the County Commissioners, which I did. At the meeting I was asked if I would go back to Pinetops Rescue Squad and have them vote on the idea. I explained to them that we had voted 3 times already and all three times it was a unanimous no. One of the commissioners from Rocky Mount asked me this question; "What will you do if we do if we stop funding your organization"? Wow, this is hardball and I am out of my league, I thought. I responded with "We work on donations so if the funding stops, we may have to pull back into the area that can support us and if that be the city limits of Pinetops, then so be it". All the other Commissioners responded quickly with "Mr. Jefferson we are not advocating stopping your funds so please do not take that as a threat". I responded by saying "that was the only logical answer I could come up with". The next question posed to me was (Why is it that only Pinetops Rescue Squad can operate in the black under the present system and the other two squads can not?) I explained that the other two squads have more calls per year than we do. I also pointed out that Rocky Mount and Tarboro has an industrial base and the populations are more transit. Pinetops Rescue Squad's area is predominately rural, the population is stationary and have deep "roots" here. When we started the Pinetops Rescue Squad we went around to collect donations and I always stated it the same, I am here to collect for OUR rescue squad, and it's is just as much yours as it is mine. The County Commissioners voted to institute a charge for services rendered. Because we do not have the call volume that the other two squads have, we exhausted our reserves. We went through our savings of almost twenty years in about six months and thus began our struggle to continue to exist. The other two squads have nursing homes in their service area (especially Edgecombe Rescue who has 3 large nursing homes) which means a lot of transports of patients to different medical facilities. This gave them a steady source of income. The majority of these transports are covered by Medicare and so the payment is guaranteed.

Over the years the state kept increasing training requirements and certification levels until we reached a point where we would have to operate under the direction of an appointed medical doctor. This position came to be known as the medical director.

He/She has absolute control over the EMS medical personnel in the field. This is as it should be because they have a lot at stake in this process. It is their license that is at risk. But he or she only controls the medical aspect of the squads. We became EMT's then EMT-I's and next came the "EMT-P". This would require more drugs, specialized equipment and certified EMT-P's to be employed. We did a self study and determined it would take approximately $120,000 more in our budget to go paramedic and requested this from the County Commissioners. They rejected our requests for almost 10 years. A plan was put into place were we could call for paramedic assistance from our sister squads. The commissioners after almost 10 years agreed to increase our budget to allow us to go to the paramedic level. But the present county medical director from Heritage Hospital wrote a letter to the county Commissioners to indicate he felt Pinetops Rescue Squad was not ready to go to paramedic level under present leadership and he also questioned our professionalism. Our professionalism; as compared to whom, Edgecombe County Rescue Squad, who had serval of it's members (EMT-P's and EMT-I's) along with the doctor who was county medical director at that time involved in improper and illegal activities dealing with prescription drugs. The doctor voluntarily surrendered his license to the NC Medical Board but not any of the rescue members lost their certifications and none were punished in any formal way as I know of.

Next the County Commissioners employed an independent company to do a study on the present Emergency Medical Services and make recommendations. The study indicated there was not an overall controller in place to monitor all the EMS systems in Edgecombe County, which is needed to insure efficiency and quality of the services. They recommended the county should take over the EMS services and placed them under county control. The county had and has an opportunity to start a "new" system and to do it right which means hiring certified and qualified personnel to setup and manage a system that will meet not just our present needs but also our future needs. A plan which is dynamic and not reactionary as it has been in the past. At present I do not see this happening, when the first person hired "who is an honorable gentleman and served us in an exemplary manner as supervisor of Edgecombe County's communications center" but does not have the formal training, certifications and field experience in Emergency Medical Services that is needed to implement and manage a program of this magnitude.

At the May meeting of the Pinetops Rescue Squad we had the new EMS Coordinator and the Chief of the Edgecombe Rescue Squad present. They came to formally inform us that as of July 1, the Edgecombe Rescue Squad would assume control of Pinetops Rescue Squad's area. I stated that for 36 years Pinetops Rescue Squad has served this community and served it well, many times putting 3 staffed rescues trucks at one time in the service area on three different calls. I also indicated that I could count on one hand the number of times we requested mutual aid from Edgecombe Rescue and West Edgecombe Rescue; but it would take both hands and feet to count the number of times we responded to mutual aid requests from our sister squads. The question I asked the Edgecombe County Rescue squad's Chief was, "could she guarantee me as a citizen in the southern region of Edgecombe that they could continue the same level of coverage". She answered, "all I can say is that I will do my best". But of course she will do her best because she always has and that's one of the reasons she is Chief. But I did not find comfort in that statement. What I wanted to hear was yes, because we have studied the call volume history and we are hiring X number of people and are staffing X number of rescue units to ensure that adequate coverage is going to be provided. I asked the EMS Coordinator "at what point is the county going to take over; making the EMS personnel county employees with proper benefits, a pay scale in line with the rest of the state and the entire system being placed under county control". His response was "it was never stated that the county was going to take over". But, Edgecombe Rescue Squad is going to take over the entire county. West Edgecombe Rescue would also be taken over in the near future just as Pinetops Rescue Squad is going to be taken over in July. Each squad is incorporated, thus free to manage it's own operations. If Edgecombe Rescue Squad (which is incorporated, works under a charter and is self governed) takes over all the EMS operations within Edgecombe County; then the County Commissioners will have no more control over the "new" system than it had before the take over. That is not what we were told in the very beginning of this whole process and I do not feel this is what the report was indicating when the independent study group made their formal recommendations. When I read the report I envisioned a new "Edgecombe County EMS" system, under county control. Our fire departments have been moving more and more into the rescue type operations with their training and equipment acquisitions. This would free up the EMS personnel to deal only with the emergency medical aspect of the county. Much like what is being done in all the counties around us. So I say again, Edgecombe County has an opportunity and an obligation to build an Emergency Medical Services system and to do it right because the citizens of Edgecombe County deserve it.

The above is an article found at the website EJ'S PHOTOGRAPHY and is reposted here with permission of the author.

Also in this is the fact that we are taking a HUGE pay cut and loosing some of our benefits. Now you tell me how fair this is.

Can you tell us please, who is the author of the original article?

John D. Jefferson ~~

as a concerned south edgecombe citzen i was not informed of edgecombe county taking over .how can they take over when they dont have enough personel to cover the many transport they do every day..

That is a very good question. You should direct that to our county officials....

I have spoke with many members of each squad stated above once hearing about the take over in Pinetops. I was wondering who's idea this was and what do the present employees of Edgecombe Coutny Rescue think about this. From what I here there is not to many that like the idea due to the fact that they don't have people mow to handle the call volume. I should not say call volume I should say transfers. Have can a Rescue Squad be there for the people when they are at the doctors office or where every with patients that from what is said does not need and ambulance. Another concern is this going to cost the tax payers inregards to taxs going up. Everyone needs to ask how can this been and no one ask the citizens on what they think about it and get there input. Why fix something that is not broke. Pinetops Rescue has served the community well and should continue to serve it.In my opinon I have had to call on Pinetops Rescue when I was having chest pains witch they sent West Edgecombe along for a paramedic from what I was told later. I have to say that the treatment that was rendered was by far the best that I have every had. Both squads were very nice and educated in informing me on everything that they were going to do and what it was for. Then on the other hand I called later the next year and this time Edgecombe Rescue came out. I asked the person from Pinetops why they were there and they advised that they handle all the paramedic calls now. I must say that I was not impressed at the least. I was talked down too, never told what was going on or what they need to do.Thiis time as well as the last time i was having a heart attack. I was informed the first time when I asked if what they though was going they said that it looks like a heart attack but they could not say for surebut treated me for it as if it was. The second time my questions were never answered and nothing was even done for me. I called all three squads about a month later and recieved a copy of the report. I then talked to my niece who is a nurse about the diffrent treatment that I was given and not given. She told me that the first time the heart attacks size was not as big because of the medications that I was given the first time. The second time I was not given that medication, and I sk why? If it is the same proplem as it was before. i directed my questions to the Chief of edgecombe rescue, I think her name was karen Im not sure. I must say that she was pleasent to talk with a listen to my questions. The answer is that they do not do the same things that the other squads do, and that was it, I was floored. How can all these squads not do the same thing?? Why can not everyone get the same treatment when they need it! Citizens of Pinetops all of us nedd to start asking the questions before it is to late and something happends to one of our love ones.

the county comissioners dont know what is going on and i dont think that they really care.how are they going to give the citizens of pinetops the care they need when they are to busy taking rest home residents to doctors appointments.the rest homes have their own vans to transpot the residents.is it edgecombe rescue or is it edgecombe transport company.

Having spoken with several station 2 (tarboro) members,I have found that they are hiring new members to the field of EMS at a higher rate of pay then members that have been there for years.These people have been faithful to their squad through some tough times and to have new people brought in at a higher rate of pay would tempt me to go else where.At a squad that is already running short of members,this is going to cause a standard of care to fall if these existing members were to choose to go some where else.Also as a concerned citizen of the South Edgecombe area, I am wondering how the service is going to be starting July 1,as long as I have been in this area, I have had nothing but the best of service from the members of Pinetops Rescue, and I just hope that tarboro can give the citizens of South Edgecombe the service that they are accustomed to.

Why was the Pinetops Rescue Squad started?
I recall that years ago there was a need for quicker response to the southern portion (Pinetops, Macclesfield, Crisp and etc areas) of Edgecombe Co that the Edgecombe Rescue Squad could not provide. It would take about 7 minutes for an ambulance to reach Pinetops and this was excellent time but there were times when it could take 20 minutes or more… This was too long a time period when you are in an emergency situation such as a heart attack, automobile wreck or worse. It was dangerous for an ambulance to drive that distance at 100 miles per hour or faster to attempt to arrive fast enough to save some ones life. That was some of the reasons why the Pinetops Rescue Squad became into existence to start with. As a charter member of the Pinetops Rescue Squad and its first paid personnel at $50.00 for a 60 hour-work week; I can not see where anything has changed for the same need now is as it was then. Perhaps the distance between the southern end of the county has moved and got closer to the Edgecombe Rescue Squad. If not, there will be dire consequences for the child who has stopped breathing or the elderly whose heart has stopped and is waiting for the arrival of the Edgecombe Rescue Squad. So what is the cost of humans lives not worth in the southern end of the county, apparently tax dollars. I felt that if I did not say or write something about this EMS situation that I failed as a past member of the Pinetops Rescue Squad who tried to help all that needed help.

William E. (Billy) Phillips a chartered member of the Pinetops Rescue Squad
Tarboro, N.C.

Pinetops rescue squad should not have been denied by the medical director (Dr.Bunn) to go paramedic. This being the case, Pinetops should have gotten another director. Dr Bunn could have been replaced by another Dr for this position.Even though he is doing this free of charge,(this is what I have been told) he is denying letting tarboro expand their standard of care to include several things other EMS squads are doing in other counties that could benefit citizens in Edgecombe county.The people of edgecombe county need to be made aware of what is going on before it happens instead of after it happens and they have no choice but to accept it.WE, THE CITIZENS OF EDGECOMBE COUNTY NEED TO HAVE A VOICE IN WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR COUNTY,INSTEAD OF HAVING TO TAKE WHAT WE ARE TOLD IS IN OUR BEST INTEREST.

Sounds like the edgecombe rescue is far behind almost every other similarly sized orginization in the state in terms of wage, equipment, and udated standards of pt care AS WELL AS the things needed to perform them...including personnel. I worked as a basic years ago in Alamance county, and I would have been embarrassed to earn more than a paramedic...it would have to make it a tense workplace, to say the least. Do they really pay like that? Why? Paramedics go to school and are trained in much more advanced areas than the first tier Basic. That's not right.

Having been born & raised in this county, I've learned that most changes occur when strong-minded people clash or someone is trying to be politically correct. In this instance I beleive changes could have occurred without all this drama. Pinetops Rescue should have applied for funds from the Town and County to return to school for Paramedic training when Dr.Bunn 1st requested a county-wide Paramedic program. If the main 1 or 2 people in the department are not a paramedic (whatever Dr Bunn requires), then you have misused your funding. If new equipment is required, you do several things at once.
You hold fundraisers (this lets the people know about your need), you apply for local funding (this was apparently done and denied- I'll get to my feelings on this later), and you apply for grants. You do whatever is required because you care about the people you help. I just wished you had done it sooner. To the County Commissioners-- I "assume" (know what they say about that) you approved Edgecombe Rescue's accertion that they will take over Pinetops and West Edgecombe's districts.From what I'm hearing and reading, this was a rash decision. Where is the funding coming from for New
Hires? Why didn't you give this money to Pinetops so they could meet Dr.Bunn's requirements? Are you prepared to assume the liabilities when or if someone dies because of the response time? Where is the funding for the building/equipment needed for this transformation coming from? Most likly ya'll have done as usual and decided to implement this because you could and will worry about the funding later. To Edgecombe Co. Rescue--- My husband has assured me that you can be both professional and are well-trained. As a mother and taxpayer, I demand that the people you have hired and will use at this end of the county , be both. Do not come down here and talk down to people. Do not talk about the old personnel. And should the need arise, you had better be pulling into my driveway within 5-6 minutes after I call. As I understand you have been receiving monies out of the E911 program and as I have not received my house number, there is no number on a green sign in my yard. When the county finally completes this money pit, I mean program, I will post a house number to make it easier to find my house. Until then you are on your own and liable if care is not rendered within a timely manner. And the care received had best meet or exceed the protocol required for the situation. In other words, the care received on July 1st had better match that received on June 30th by the Pinetops Dept. To Dr.Bunn----As Dwight has stated, and I agree with, you call the shots. It is your licence on the line everytime a decision is made in the field. But who are you to question the professionalism of Pinetops when you haven't seen them in action in a truly life threatening situation. During the flood, I had the experience of working side-by-side with most of the people in the Pinetops Dept. Between the Rescue, Fire, and people like myself (a citizen volunteer), we rescued over 300 of our fellow citizens. We did this with God's help, will-power, a certainty we would succeed, training and teamwork. We succeeded where other depts. in simular situations failed or had serious problems. I would put the fine people at this end of the county against one and all.
Most importantly, let me stress. Since you have assumed the noble responsibility and costly liability of your position, I put you on notice- This change you have so hastily sought had Better Not affect the care I or my love ones receive.

Well, Cathy, from what I have heard from a LOT of actual edgecome rescue staff, what has been hired are lower level folks alreading working jobs at transfer ambulance companies, and have little or no field experience. And i also understand that the medics eing hired live in other towns and not eve3n familiar with this area. COUNTY RUN EMS is what we need.

I lived here all my life and for the last 20 years or so the same folks has run that squad, a brother and a sister. Run it like a family business, too. It not right. Its a rescue service for the citizens, i thought. But we dont know shit about it except what we are told. But I do know that the same folks keep on running it the exact same way as ever.

I wonder how many of you are aware that Mark Walters, the EMS co-ordinator for the county, also sits on the Edgecombe Rescue paid board. Isnt this a direct conflict of interest? It makes it look like the ECRS bunch had a little inside trading help on that pinetops aquisition.

That's the truth!!! Johnson & Manning Rescue Squad!!

Ok enough is enough!! I live in the southern part of the county just outside of Rocky Mount. I have friends in both Pinetops and West Edgecombe Rescue Squad. The most important thing here people is patient care and the way that they are treated. The truth of the matter in regards to Pinetops going paramedic level is this; it was a personal conflict with Pinetops personnel and Dr. Bunn. It’s that simple, Dr. Bunn did not like some of the administration and prevented them from increasing there standard of care. Dr. Bunn is the Medical Director and has the overall say on what each squad can and cannot do. The only way around that is Pinetops going out and hiring there on Medical Director. The only problem that arises there is it would cost from what I found out between $15-$25,000 dollars a year, that’s a lot of money when every time you turn around the county wants to cut your money down to the bare minimum. As far as Edgecombe Rescue not being able to do something’s compared to the other departments it’s simple to. Apparently Dr. Bunn does not trust Edgecombe Rescue in allowing them certain procedures. But the almighty county is letting them take over Pinetops???? That makes a lot of sense, NOT. I will say that I don’t fault Dr. Bunn is this is the case in regards to not trusting Edgecombe Rescue, it is his tale on the lie if they screw up. I have family that work at a local hospital and deal with all the squads that come in there. The horror stories all involve a certain squad that hardly ever treats the patient, they just haul them in and that’s it. If that is the case then why even call for a ambulance it something is truly wrong and nothing is done? I still want to know and being a citizen and tax payer we should all know who allowed this and why was not West Edgecombe given the opportunity to take over it had to be done, since the level of care is higher than Edgecombe Rescue? It all sounds funny it you ask me and a lot of other tax payers. I guess that when it happens and something goes wrong what then? The only one that is going to pay is the family and that love one. I also would like to know that since I live in Pinetops service are and after July 1 call 911 can I request that West Edgecombe come pick me up? I think that the county needs to rethink this because it’s a bad idea and not making the voting citizens happy at all! How can any county government allow any Squad to take over another one and not give the other squad in the county, which functions at a higher level of care the option of stepping in? Voters remember that we were not asked and most of us did not know until now that this was happening. If you want to be kept in the dark keep the county government that we have now, if not remember this the next time it’s time to vote for someone new.

1st off, EMS run under Dr. Bunn, mistakes have been made by ALL squads, if the doctor does not feel good about some functioning under his license, I would have to agree with him, all mistakes will fall back on him, I have heard good and bad about Pinetops, Edgcombe and W. Edgecombe, one bad attitude from a medic or others can make the whole squad look bad.
To bring new employees in for higher pay than current employees, what does that say about THE CHIEF, she really cares for her employees...yeh??!!?? How the hell do u think this makes the employees feelthat has dedicated their life, skills and everything else to a place that pretty much punches them in the face.

Yes the lady has ran it for toooo long. Her attitude prevents any advancement, they are holding a great squad back from top performance. The counties decision has caused friction between squads yet the employees are not to blame yet thats who it falls back on. Ashamed. All employees should come together as one, stand up for who they are. PLUS, EVERYONE except the the Chief always look professional and ready to respond, I will tell you this, if she came up to our residence looking like she looks everytime we have seen her, I would question her abilities, not that I am saying she cant do her job, but at least in your line of work, represent the squad in a more fashionable manner, instead of looking like u just finished flippin burgers at the local joint!
In my opinion, the county needs to take a step back see the mistake that has been made and correct it before thay lose some damn good medics and other EMS personnel!

To the citizens of Pinetops, Tarboro, and Edgecombe County. To read all the hostility in here, I'm not pleased either about this transition.. But believe you me, everyone should get the same kind of treatment they give everyone. I don't know whether I would want to respond there as a paramedic for the rescue squad that is taking over and be hit with all the hostility that is clearly being felt. I'm the kind of person that gets along with everyone but I read in the paper that it's not going to be that easy. The conditions within both of these squads must make it very hard to concentrate on what's important....the care of the citizens when they need it most.

I think that it's a shame. And my concern is, if the person in charge of an orginization currently embroiled in an event this much in the public eye, and one of concern to an entire county, if this person does not care enough to present theirself in the same proffessional attitude, including dress, that is required of the other employees, how can we, as citizens, expect to them to handle the position of 'Head' of this conglomoration of services in any way other than the slip-shod manner their daily appearence suggests? Is this a hired position? I mean, can you apply for a job like the one? I know you have to be a certified medical person, but is that the only requirement? Looks like you would have to have some kind of business degree.
Anyway, that's my see on it.

Yes, proffessional appearence is a must, but the real issue here is the 'county' allowing a private orginization that is only franchised by the county to assimilate another squad, cover much more ground with inadequate quotas of personnel, and let it all be organized and expedited by the same people who have held control of it since its inception. There is bound to be hostility on both sides, which only detracts from the CORE issue: care of the citizens. I don't know much about the deal at all, but I do read and I know that it seems almost all counties everywhere are 'County Run Systems', so why can't this one be? It appears that all would benefit from this solution, and no 'control' would be in the hands of any one person.

What about this statement:

But the present county medical director from Heritage Hospital wrote a letter to the county Commissioners to indicate he felt Pinetops Rescue Squad was not ready to go to paramedic level under present leadership and he also questioned our professionalism. Our professionalism; as compared to whom, Edgecombe County Rescue Squad, who had serval of it's members (EMT-P's and EMT-I's) along with the doctor who was county medical director at that time involved in improper and illegal activities dealing with prescription drugs. The doctor voluntarily surrendered his license to the NC Medical Board but not any of the rescue members lost their certifications and none were punished in any formal way as I know of.

the way i look at this , i have lived in pinetops and tarboro, they both work well but i felt more comfortable with pinetops...i just about lost my baby and time was crucial we called they were there, if i had to wait till tarboro got there me and my baby would of died...a friend of mine was in an accident by eagles store had it not been for pinetops he too prob would of died....my hat is off to pinetops, let them stay they have a way better response time in their area than edgecombe does, every minute counts and they can respond so much faster, to be honest if edgecombe takes over and a death occurs b/c pinetops has no authority you will be looking at a lawsuit so u better rethink this....