Presenting research notes on ambulance, rescue, and EMS history in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.

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1930 to 1949

• 1937 – Winston-Salem Rescue Squad organized. First rescue squad in the state. They performed rescue functions but no transport services.

1950 to 1959

• 1958 – Winston-Salem Light Rescue Squad organized. Operated from May 1, 1958, until 1959 or abouts. 
• 1958 – Mount Tabor Light Rescue Squad organized. They operated until 1960 or abouts. 
• 1959 – City-county Civil Defense Rescue Service started. Rescue trucks placed at Lewisville VFD (1959) and Beeson Crossroads VFD (1960). 
• 1959 – Forsyth Rescue Squad organized. Added ambulances in later decade. 
• 1959 – King Rescue Squad operating by this time. [WSJ, 8/14/59]

1960 to 1969 Continue reading ‘Winston-Salem and Forsyth County Ambulance and Rescue History’ »

Presenting research notes on ambulance, rescue, and EMS history in Greensboro and Guilford County.

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Timeline

Pre-History

• 1910 – First ambulance was a horse-drawn unit, operated from 1910 to 1915. Sold to a woman’s group, likely the Greensboro Ambulance Association. They mounted the carriage on a truck and donated it to the fire department. The ambulance was housed at the fire station for a year, but rarely ran calls and was removed, or so the story was remembered decades later. 
• 1918 – By that time, the first funeral home ambulances were operating. 

1940 to 1959

• 1940 – Snapshot. Funeral homes with ambulance services listed in Hill City Directory: Forbis & Murray, Hanes.
• 1944 – Greensboro FD placed first rescue truck in service. Later received a resuscitator and related equipment. They were also equipped with an iron long. 
• 1947 – Greensboro Life Saving and First Aid Crew organized. The GFD rescue truck was transferred to them.
• 1950 – Life Saving Crew received new rescue truck, a panel van. By that time they also had two boats and trailer and about 40 volunteers.  
• 1952 – First iteration of the High Point Rescue Squad organized by the High Point Fishing Club. Created as a water rescue group. Operated until at least 1958.
• 1958 – City council approved the city taking over the Life Saving Crew. The private volunteer organization had asked the city to take over its assets due to financial troubles. . 
• 1959 – Hanes-Lineberry Funeral Home started operating a rescue unit. They were the only ambulance service in the city that provided additional rescue services. 

1960 to 1969

• 1960 – Snapshot. Funeral homes with ambulance services listed in Hill City Directory: Forbis & Dick, Hanes-Lineberry, Hargett, Lambeth-Troxler, Murray. 
• 1960 – Greensboro-Guilford County Rescue Squad created as either physical entity or just the name that appeared on new rescue trucks operated by the fire department. The GFD rescue units were also called the Greensboro Rescue Squad. Two rescue trucks (panel van and station wagon) were placed in service in 1960. 
• 1962 – GFD added third rescue truck, heavy rescue squad lettered for Civil Defense Rescue Service.  
• 1966 – Fryar Ambulance Service started in Gibsonville.
• 1966 – Nineteen funeral homes in Greensboro, Guilford County, and High Point notified city and county officials that each plan to discontinue ambulance service no later than September 30. 
• 1966 – Ambulance Service of Guilford County, Inc., started operating on October 1. The private company had five ambulances in Greensboro, three ambulances in High Point. 
• 1967 – ASGC asked county officials for financial help, due to unpaid bills. Resulted in new two-year contract and $18,000 loan from county. 
• 1968 – ASGC employees staged a walk-out over service complaints. Later that year, they conducted a strike later over wages, working conditions, and poor conditions of the ambulances and equipment. 
• 1969 – County assumed control of ambulance service. Guilford County Ambulance Service began operating with the employees and equipment of the former private company. They also assumed the company’s debt. They had two bases: Greensboro and High Point. 
• 1969 – County ambulance service renamed Guilford County Emergency Transportation Service.

1970 to 1979

• 197? – GCETS added third ambulance base in the rear of the juvenile detention facility on Wendover Avenue at Meadowood in Greensboro.
• 1971 – Second iteration of High Point Rescue Squad created. Formed by members of the High Point CB Volunteer Patrol, which organized one year earlier. 
• 1975 – Snapshot. High Point Rescue Squad had two ambulances, a personnel carrier, a crash truck, a lighting truck, and two boats. They have 25 members.
• 1975 – Brooke Funeral Home in Stokesdale stopped ambulance service. 
• 1975 – GCETS added fourth ambulance base at the airport fire station, to cover Summerfield and Stokesdale areas. 
• 1977 – GFD added three new rescue trucks. The maxi-pumpers called QRVs and later squads replaced two older rescue trucks.
• 1977 – GFD added their first Hurst tools. 
• 1977 – GCETS implemented a mobile intensive care program that includes highly-trained new Mobile Intensive Care Technicians and telemetry transmitting vital signs to hospitals. 
• 1979 – Fryar Ambulance Service operating by this time in eastern Guilford County and subsidized by county.
• 1979 – GCETS renamed Guilford County Emergency Medical Services. 
• 1979 – GCEMS started referring most non-emergency calls to private operators. 
• 1979 – GCEMS added first quick-response Medic unit.
• 1979 – HPRS added a  convalescent ambulance and started answering referred non-emergency calls from county.
• 1979 – HPRS added a substation in Greensboro. 

County Fire Department Rescue Trucks

During the 1970s and earlier, the first rescue trucks were added at county fire departments, such as:

• Guilford College (by 1970)
• Fire District 13 (1976)
• Pleasant Garden (by 1973)

Also, Guilford County Fire Department added a disaster/rescue truck in 1974/75. 

1980 to 1989

• 1980 – HPRS moved into new headquarters on South Elm Street. 
• 1980 – GCEMS added second Medic unit in Four Oaks community.
• 1982 – GCEMS added third and fourth medic units in McLeansville and Jamestown.
• 1982 – GCEMS Base 3 relocated to new county emergency services building on Meadowood Street. 
• 1984 – Fryar Ambulance Service ceased operation.  

1990 to 1999

• 1994 – GCEMS opened fifth ambulance base on Fernwood Drive.
• 1998 – HPRS renamed Piedmont Triad Ambulance & Rescue, Inc. The privately operated non-profit agency responded to mostly non-emergency calls and operated eight ambulances in Greensboro, three in High Point, and one in Asheboro. 
• 1999 – GCEMS opened sixth ambulance base on Concord Street. It’s co-located with PTAR. 

2000 to Present

• 2003 – GCEMS ambulance added in High Point at Fire Station 13.
• 2007 – PTAR opened additional base station in Colfax. 

Presenting researching notes on the history of rescue and ambulance services in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

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Summary

Before 1960

• 1921 – First advertisements appear for ambulance services in newspapers. Operators are car and taxi companies.
• 1926 – Funeral homes begin adding ambulance services. 
• 1947 – Charlotte Life Saving and First Aid Crew organized. But they’re not an ambulance service at the start. 
• 1957 – Carolina Medical Services Inc. started operating a new division in Charlotte and a short-lived ambulance service, about six weeks.
• 1958 – Charlotte Life Saving and First Aid Crew criticized for their inadequate response after two children drown in culvert. City officials discuss options, including proposal from fire chief to form a rescue squad. The life saving squad receives a donated ambulance as a result. 
• 1959 – North Mecklenburg Volunteer Rescue Squad created in Huntersville.

1960 to 1969

• 1960 – City informed by funeral directors that they want out of the ambulance business that year. 
• 1960 – Ambulance Service of Charlotte, Inc. begins operating.
• 1961 – South Mecklenburg Life Saving and Rescue Crew, Inc., is organized.
• 1962 – UMECK Rescue Squad, Inc., is organized.
• 1966 – North Mecklenburg Volunteer Rescue Squad took over ambulance service in the Davidson, Huntersville, and Cornelius areas.
• 1966 – North Mecklenburg Ambulance Service, Inc., began operation. Formed by members of North Mecklenburg Volunteer Rescue Squad, it was a paid organization that provided daytime EMS and rescue coverage, while the volunteer rescue squad answered calls at night. 
• 1968 – Steele Creek VFD started providing ambulance service.

1970 to 1979

• 1974 – Mint Hill ambulance service started.
• 1974 – County takes over responsibility for county-wide ambulance service. Charlotte Ambulance Service, Inc., begins operating with a new contract with the county. They are renamed as Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Service (MEMS).
• 1975c – Wilkinson Boulevard VFD started providing ambulance service.
• 1977 – Snapshot. County franchised providers are MEMS, Mint Hill VFD, North Mecklenburg Ambulance Service, Inc., Overlapping services include the life saving squad, North Mecklenburg RS, UMECK RS, and fire department ambulances. 
• 1978 – New county ambulance service started, MEDIC. 

1980 to 1999

• 1989 – North Mecklenburg Ambulance Service ended operations. It’s service area was taken over by MEDIC and most of their employees were hired by MEDIC.
• 1991 – Matthews Rescue & EMS organized. 
• 1996 – County began contracting with a new MEDIC agency, named Mecklenburg EMS Agency, Inc. They took control of the county’s existing fleet and stations along with most of its EMS equipment and supplies. All current employees were offered jobs with no loss of salary or benefits. The new agency was governed by a seven-member board, with three officials from the owners of Carolinas Medical Center, three officials from the owners of Presbyterian Hospital, and one county official. 

2000 to Present

• 2008 – Matthews Rescue & EMS merged with Matthews-Morningstar Fire to create Matthews Fire & EMS. 
• 2017 – North Mecklenburg Volunteer Rescue Squad ceased operating.
• 2019 – Mint Hill Fire & EMS ceased ambulance operations.