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TownTalk: Vance County EMS Ambulance Placement

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners voted 4-3 against a motion made by Commissioner Dan Brummitt to restore the location of the Vance County EMS ambulance to Bearpond Volunteer Fire Department.

The contract to house the ambulance at Bearpond VFD ended on June 30, 2026 and was not renewed.

Several commissioners expressed concern that this item was not brought before the board for review before being terminated.

Commissioner Yolanda Feimster said she learned about it from a social media post; Commissioner Valencia Perry, who also sits on the county’s Public Safety Committee, sent WIZS a copy of a letter late last week stating her objection to the removal of EMS services from Bearpond.

Commissioners Brummitt, Feimster and Perry cast votes in favor of restoring EMS services to Bearpond; Commissioners Leo Kelly, Tommy Hester, Carolyn Faines and Charisse Fain voted against.

At Monday’s meeting, Assistant EMS Director Billy Jenkins presented data that focused on calls and call volume, as well as days when there was limited staffing or no staffing.

When asked by Commissioner Tommy Hester for his recommendation, Jenkins said he would move the ambulance to the Central station.

Jenkins said the decision had nothing to do with any disagreement and said Bearpond leaders were aware that the EMS contract would be ending.

Increased call volume to the northern and central areas of the county have increased, and Jenkins said they are “bleeding red” as it relates to call data.

“EMS is always behind the eight ball,” Jenkins said. “We’re never going to have the trucks where you need them – never going to have enough staff.” He said he’d like to ultimately see two in the north, two in the south and four at a central location to be able to adequately cover the whole county.

He said it will take continued collaboration with county commissioners and county administration to achieve the goal of providing EMS service across the county.

Brummitt, who disputed the call volume data Jenkins presented as well as the projected response times to calls, said the contract should have been brought to commissioners, since it was a 5-year renewal. He said the county manager is authorized to negotiate contracts or leases that are up to one year in length.

Assistant County Manager Jeremy Jones is acting EMS director, County Manager Renee Perry said. Perry said she supports her staff’s decision.

 

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Films, Fossils & Fun at Perry Memorial Library

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Books can transport readers to faraway lands, take them on fun adventures or lead them back through history. And now, with July’s heat cranked all the way up, Memorial Library Youth Services Director Melody Peters says the library is a very cool place – in every sense of the word – to enjoy the summer. Come and choose some books, then hang around for all the extra activities the library offers.

In addition to all the reading selections, children can enjoy movies – The Good Dinosaur is up this afternoon at 4:30 p.m., tying into the summer reading theme of Unearth A Story.

And the summertime STEAM activities continue next week with construction of catapults, Peters told WIZS’s Scout Hughes on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math – and the activities are compliments of a partnership with Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina.

The first program was a big hit – making pens using 3-D printers – and Peters said the kids loved it. So did she!

“I had never used anything like that,” she said. “It was really exciting to be able to create something like that.” You don’t just flip a switch or press a button, she said. There’s a bit of a learning curve and it takes time to understand how those printers work.

But it’s not all 21st century technology at the library. Next Tuesday, July 14, come check out the ancient sport of falconry. Chip Gentry with Hawk Manor Falconry will be in the gallery at 10:30 a.m. with his birds of prey to give patrons some insight into falconry, which has been around for thousands of years.

Then Coleman Davis of the N.C. Fossil Club is bringing his extensive fossil collection for the kids to see at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14. “It is quite something to behold,” Peters said of the collection, which fits right in to the summer reading theme, too.

Then, on Thursday, July 16, visiting artist Michael Albert will lead a workshop from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for youth ages 10-16.

Albert creates collages and his medium of choice is cereal boxes! Workshop participants will create their own collages.

Space is limited, so please register using the signup link at www.perrylibrary.org.

 

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Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Q&A Session

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Michael Ellington, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

Today’s show answers 4 common gardening questions from listeners about lawn care, gardening, soil amendments, and backyard chickens.

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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Vance County Commissioners, Planning Board Schedule July 9 Joint Work Session On UDO

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners and the Vance County Planning Board are scheduled to have a joint work session next week to discuss and review the county’s unified development ordinance.

According to a notice from Clerk to the Commissioners Dywanda Pettaway, the meeting will be held on Thursday, July 9 at 4 p.m. in the commissioners’ meeting room in the Vance County Administration Building, 122 Young St., Henderson.

This meeting is work session #1 regarding the development and review of the proposed county UDO. Discussion will focus on the structure, content and implementation of the proposed ordinance, as well as opportunities for feedback and collaboration between the two boards.

Although open to the public, work sessions do not include public comment periods. The meeting also can be viewed on the county’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUMNYAAhyvKx5leijt5iK6Q

Henderson Vance Recreation & Parks

Help The Area’s Newest Park Make A Real Splash On Thursday, July 9!

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Grab your swim gear and head over to the William & Montgomery Street Park at 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 9 to take part in a fitness campaign! The newest recreation spot that features a splash pad, skate park, walking trail and fitness stations is the perfect spot to cool off from the summer heat.

It’ll be fun for all ages and a chance to check out the all the great ways to get a little exercise and have a lot of fun.

Bring your swim gear, towels and plenty of smiles to enjoy a new place in downtown Henderson to play, connect and create memories.

The park is a collaboration with the city of Henderson, Vance County and the Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Department.

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Bearpond Fire Department No Longer Housing EMS Ambulance

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The Bearpond Fire Department has been notified that the Vance County Emergency Medical Services ambulance will no longer be stationed at its location, which has prompted some in the community to wonder why.

A statement issued Wednesday from the office of Vance County Manager Renee Perry said that the EMS made the decision based on a number of factors, from call volume and response patterns to personnel burnout and fatigue. It did not, however, mention where the ambulance would be relocated.

In a post Tuesday on its social media page, Bearpond Fire Department leaders said they didn’t know why the change was being made, but added “we feel the need to address this as we have already been flooded with calls about rumors as to why.”

The press statement included information that Vance County EMS had made the decision “only after a thorough evaluation of staffing levels, emergency call volume, response patterns and the overall operational needs of the countywide EMS system.

“It is important for our residents to understand that VC EMS is a countywide emergency medical service,” Perry was quoted in the statement. “Our responsibility is to provide emergency medical care to every resident of Vance County, regardless of where they live. Although an ambulance is no longer permanently stationed at the Bearpond Fire Department, we remain fully committed to responding to emergencies throughout the entire county, including the southern end of Vance County.”

According to the statement, the emergency medical call volume has increased significantly within the City of Henderson and the northern portion of Vance County over the past several years.

“As demand for emergency services has grown, additional resources and personnel have been needed in these areas to maintain timely and effective emergency medical response.”

It continued, saying, “At the same time, EMS experienced numerous occasions when staffing levels were insufficient to consistently keep an ambulance in service at the Bearpond station. Maintaining a unit that could not be reliably staffed was not a sustainable or efficient use of available personnel and resources.”

Additionally, crews assigned to the EMS Main Station have assumed the majority of emergency responses for both the City of Henderson and the northern portion of the county, the statement said. “This sustained increase in workload has placed significant demands on frontline personnel, contributing to fatigue and burnout. Realigning ambulance deployment allows EMS to better match resources with community needs while supporting the health and well-being of the personnel who provide these critical services.”

In its post, Bearpond FD dispelled any notion of discord between it and Vance County EMS or government leaders.

“At no point has there ever been a disagreement between our Department and Vance County EMS or Vance County Government. Also, at no point was there any discussion from our Department to the Vance County government about asking for more money due Vance County EMS utilizing our building and utilities.”

The post concluded with, “We hate to see them leave our fine community but as with most things, needs change with time and we wish VC EMS the absolute best with their future vision.”

Vance County Historical Society To Install Memorial Book At Meeting On Monday, July 6

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The Vance County Historical Society will meet Monday, July 6, 2026 at 5 p.m. to officially install the Vance County Memorial Book that contains the names of Vance County citizens who have died in service to their country.

This meeting is open to the public, and will include a program that will discuss the biographies of some of those who are remembered in the book. The book contains the names of those service members who died in military service since the county was established in 1881.

The meeting will be held in the Farm Bureau Meeting Room of Perry Memorial Library.