Presenting research notes on the history of ambulance and rescue services in New Hanover County.
See below for selected notes.
See this Google Drive folder for 200+ articles, including those referenced below.
1950s
1957, Feb – Cape Fear Ambulance Service was under new management, prices reduced, read an advertisement. [SN, 2/17/58]
1958, Oct – Cape Fear Ambulance Service ceased answering emergency calls in the city and county, due to losing money. The city started providing ambulance service through police department, using two police station wagons. Officers were also “fully trained in first aid.” The first police ambulance call was October 13, 1958. The county planned to equip the sheriff’s department to provide ambulance service. CFAS would continue making non-emergency “house calls.” [SN, 10/2/58, 10/6/58, 10/7/58, 10/13/58 ]
1958, Oct – Wrightsville Beach reported as having emergency ambulance service, through permanent use of a “fully-equipped” Civil Air Patrol ambulance. It operated from the police department and was maintained by CAP squadron members. Ambulance rides were free, but the squadron appreciated donations. [SN, 10/10/58, 10/16/58]
1958, Oct – County made 90 day agreement with Cape Fear Ambulance Company to provide emergency service to unincorporated areas, as a trial basis. [SN, 10/20/58]
1958, Oct – Civil Air Patrol squadron ambulances were operating at Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach, and a third was being obtained at Fort Fisher. [SN, 10/20/58]
1959, Feb – Cape Fear Ambulance Service ceased operating. [SN, 8/23/63]
1959, Feb – Ambulance Service Company started operation. Owner is Harold Jackson. By June 1963, the company operated four vehicles. [SN, 6/25/63, 8/23/63]
1960s
1962, July – New Hanover County Rescue Squad organized by members in the Ogden community. Crumpler Funeral Home donated an ambulance. Other equipment was obtained through Civil Defense office, including a generator trailer, a 1957 “carry all” turned into combination ambulance and equipment truck, and a “small line truck” to pull the generator. By December 16, they had responded to eight incidents. [SN, 7/24/62, 12/16/62]
1963, July – New Hanover County Rescue Squad received charter from the state association of rescue squads [SN, 7/31/63]
1963, Aug – Ambulance Service Company ceased operation. They were located at 3105 Wrightsville Avenue. They operated on a 24-hour basis with drivers on duty at all times. The owner was unable to devote enough time to both the ambulance service and the service station he ran. He had two emergency vehicles that were available for purchase for anyone seeking to establish a new ambulance service. [SN, 8/23/63]
1963, Aug – New Hanover County Rescue Squad planned to “partially provide” emergency ambulance service, to cover the service gap with the closing of the private company. [SN, 8/24/63]
1964, Feb – New Hanover County Rescue Squad announced that free ambulance service would be provided at night and on weekends. They had one ambulance and a second expected to be ready in a couple days. [SN, 2/6/64]
1964, Feb – Immediate deactivation of New Hanover County Rescue Squad ordered by Civil Defense Director, due to the squad now competing with local private ambulance service and thus not complying with government equipment procedures. The squad planned to resume operations after two weeks, but without Civil Defense equipment, which included three vehicles and assorted equipment. [SN, 6/8/64]
1964 Feb – By this time, Smith Funeral Home was operating an ambulance. [SN, 2/8/64]
1964, ___ – Members of New Hanover County Rescue Squad reorganized as new Ogden Rescue Squad. [SN, 5/5/73]
1967, June – By this time, Tate’s Ambulance Service was operating. [SN, 6/14/67]
1967, June – Mass transfer of patients performed from James Walker Memorial Hospital to New Hanover Memorial Hospital on June 13?, 1967. Total of 15 ambulances and special station wagons shuttled the patients, using vehicles from Tate’s Ambulance Service, Ogden Rescue Squad, Fort Fisher Rescue Squad, Craven County Rescue Squad, Pender County Rescue Squad, rescue units from Tabor City, Jacksonville, Holly Ridge, and Riegelwood, and an ambulance from Camp Lejeune. [SN, 6/14/67]
1967, July – By this time, Fort Fisher Air Station had an ambulance that occasionally served the nearby civilian community. [SN, 7/20/67]
1967, July – Ogden Rescue Squad dedicated new building on Middle Sound Road. The $18,000 facility comprised four buildings: main structure, cafeteria, garage, and community building. ORS has two ambulances, one truck, one jeep, and three boats. They operate on-call 24/7 with 27 men and nine women. [SN, 7/23/67]
1969, ___ – Wilmington FD started operating a rescue unit, a small utility truck. [SN, 6/30/71]
1970s
1970, Sep – T&M Ambulance Service, operated by Henry Hoyle, started operation. [SN, 8/4/79]
1971, Dec – Ogden Rescue Squad snapshot. Squad had a 1968 Cadillac ambulance, two rescue trucks, a crash truck, three jeeps for island and beach searches, four rescue boats including one house at a permanent slip, and two generator trailers. [SN, 12/2/71]
1972, Feb – Committee formed to evaluate needs for county-wide ambulance service. Current services provided by two private companies–who have complained of problems obtaining payments–and the volunteer Ogden Rescue Squad, which receives no money from the county. Or, in another account, received $5,000 per year subsidy. [SN, 2/11/72, 3/25/72]
1972, Mar – Two private ambulance companies sought county funds to upgrade their equipment: T&M Ambulance and Tate’s Ambulance. Hoyle operated out of the owner’s home at 202 Calhoun Avenue and has three vehicles. Tate operated one ambulance, along with a wrecker, from a service station at 212 W. South Carolina Avenue. [SN, 3/2/72]
1972, Aug – County completed a study on ambulance service after seven months of work, but offered no specific recommendation to simplify the situation, which consisted primarily of a financial rivalry between the non-profit Ogden Rescue Squad and two commercial rivals. However, it notes any course of action taken should include requiring a county-granted franchise for all ambulance operators. [SN, 8/15/72, 8/23/72]
1972, Oct – Town of Carolina Beach refused to grant exclusive ambulance franchise to T&M Ambulance Service. The owner indicated that he was the only ambulance service in Carolina Beach. [SN, 10/11/72]
1973, Mar – Second iteration of New Hanover Volunteer Rescue Squad started operation on March 28. They were located at 5318 Carolina Beach Road. [SN, 3/28/73]
1973, May – T&M Ambulance Service had been renamed New Hanover Ambulance Service by this time. [SN, 5/8/73]
1973, May – Snapshot of Odgen Rescue Squad. They had three ambulances, a rescue truck, and three boats. They did not charge for service, but accepted donations from patients. They responded to an average of 275 calls per month in 1972. This year’s rate averaged 300 calls per month. [SN, 5/5/73]
1973, Jun – Tate’s Ambulance Service ended operation. [SN, 6/5/73, 6/9/73]
1974, ___ – Wilmington FD added an ambulance, but only transported patients in life-threatening situations.
1975, Aug – Carolina Beach FD was operating an ambulance by this time, but only transported patients in life-threatening situations. [SN, 8/25/76]
1975, Aug – CB’ers Search and Rescue Assistance Group of North Carolina was operating by this time. They helped with land and water searches, as well as drownings and stranded boat owners. They did not have any capacity for transporting patients. [SN, 8/25/76]
1975, Aug – By this time, both Ogden and New Hanover rescue squads were receiving $20,000 per year from the county. [SN, 8/25/76]
1976, Dec – CB’ers Search and Rescue Assistance Group of North Carolina AKA CB Search and Rescue Squad ceased operating. Most of their equipment was donated to the newly organized Castle Hayne Rescue Squad. [SN, 2/2/7]
1977, Feb – Castle Hayne Rescue Squad was organized by this time, but had not yet raised money to equip an ambulance, nor had they been granted a franchise by the county. [ Did they ever actually operate? ] [SN, 2/2/77]
1977, Apr – By this time, Wilmington FD had operated a dive team for about four years. [SN, 4/8/77]
1977, Jan – Coastal Ambulance Service started operation, provide non-emergency transport services. The company was short-lived. [SN, 4/10/77, 8/23/79]
1977, Jun – Snapshot of New Hanover Ambulance Service. They had six full-time employees, operate 24/7, and had four ambulances, two boats, and dragging equipment. [SN, 6/28/77]
1977, Nov – County preparing new ambulance ordinance that would divide county in service areas, one for each ambulance service. The county sought to solve a problem of too many ambulances arriving at an accident, from the services being called simultaneously or self-dispatching after listening on the radio. [SN, 11/30/77]
1979, Aug – New Hanover Ambulance Service suspended all emergency transport operations, for reasons including excess of unpaid bills and county’s refusal to subsidize their service. [SN, 8/4/79]
1979, ___ – County planned to enacted ordinance in December that canceled all existing ambulance franchises, and set standards for training, performance, and cleanliness that were required, before services could qualify for new franchise. [SN, 10/17/78]
1979, Nov – County placed new ambulance ordinance on hold. [SN, 11/6/79]
1979, Jun – County approved $3,700 subsidy to Town of Carolina Beach, for their rescue squad. [SN, 6/27/79]
1979, Aug – New Hanover Ambulance Service suspended all operations, except certain services contracted to mortuaries. The primary reason was an excess of $278,000 in unpaid bills, due to reasons ranging from Medicaid refusing claims, to the county declining to subsidize their service. [SN, 8/4/79]
1979, Aug? – Wilmington FD added second ambulance. [SN, 11/28/79]
1980s
1980, Feb – County proposal recommends creating county-wide EMS system, including these actions:
- county hired full-time EMTs to answer calls and operating ambulances in the day time
- county pay the expenses of the volunteer squads
- volunteers continue to offer emergency service on nights and weekend
- county build a third rescue station in Castle Hayne
- county reimburse the City of Wilmington and other municipalities for ambulance operational costs
- sheriff’s department dispatch all rescue and ambulance calls
- plan exclude private ambulance companies. [SN, 2/28/80]
1980, Jul – Effective July 1, the county started collecting $35 for all calls answered by the two county rescue squads. [SN, 7/1/80]
1980, Nov – Wilmington FD did not transport patients unless life-threating situations. Instead, they called for another ambulance from the county squads. The county squads believed that the city should bear more of the load. [SN, 11/19/80]
1981, Jan – Carolina Beach Rescue Squad begins charging for emergency ambulance service. However, they only transported for life-threatening emergencies. [SN, 1/28/81]
1982, Jan – Carolina Beach Rescue Squad discontinued. It was operated with a paid town staff and was discontinued due to budget cuts. [SN, 6/10/82]
1982, Jan – Pleasure Island Volunteer Rescue Squad began operating on January 1, serving Carolina Beach and Kure Beach. It operated a seven year-old ambulance housed at the Carolina Beach fire station. [SN, 6/10/82]
1982, Dec – Ground broken on new headquarters for Pleasure Island VRS. [SN, 12/1/83]
1985, Aug – Odgen RS and New Hanover VRS merged on August 1. New organization named Ogden-New Hanover County Rescue Squad. [SN, 7/4/85]
1986, Mar – Countywide EMS system took effect on March 1. The actions included:
- Created New Hanover County EMS.
- Absorbed the ambulance services (and assets?) of Ogden-New Hanover and Pleasure Island rescue squads, immediately.
- Absorbed the ambulance services (and assets?) of Wilmington FD, later in the summer.
- Started training their EMTs as Advanced Intermediate EMT and equipped with new defibrillators.
- Sources: [SN, 1/21/86, 3/29/86]
1990s
1997, Feb – County commissioners suggest letting New Hanover Regional Medical Center take over county EMS department, since the program had been losing money. [SN, 3/18/98]
1998, ___ – New Hanover Regional EMS started operation, operated by the medical center. By June, they had 52 employees and six stations with paramedic-staffed ambulances.
Sources
See this Google Drive folder for 200+ articles, including those referenced above.