{"id":9546,"date":"2026-01-20T09:10:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T14:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/?p=9546"},"modified":"2026-03-30T12:54:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T16:54:16","slug":"johnston-rescue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/johnston-rescue\/","title":{"rendered":"History of Ambulance Service and Rescue Squads in Johnston County"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This is a blog version of a Facebook posting<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Research notes on ambulance and rescue squad history in Johnston County.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

1950 to 1959<\/strong><\/p>\n

1957, Jun \u2013 Johnston County Civil Defense Rescue Squad operating by this time. Based in Smithfield [NO, 6\/3\/57, GNA 1\/31\/59]<\/p>\n

1958, Sep \u2013 Kenly Rescue Squad organized by September 1958. First vehicle was an International step van, former police \u201cpaddy wagon\u201d from the Marine Corps bought for $135. Organized as part of the town civil defense organization, led by Hank Cogdell, a pharmacist. Unit was parked in a vacant lot beside the town hall until a building was erected to house the unit plus the town\u2019s two fire trucks. In addition to answering recall calls, it would accompany fire trucks on fire calls. Squad captain was Harold Hinnant. It had six members by October 23. [NO, 9\/28\/58, GNA 10\/23\/58]<\/p>\n

1960 to 1969<\/strong><\/p>\n

1962 \u2013 Clayton Rescue Squad organized. Early units included a 1965 Dodge passenger van. [OH]<\/p>\n

1963 \u2013 Clayton RS chartered. [NO, 10\/24\/63]<\/p>\n

1967, circa \u2013 Smithfield Lion\u2019s Club Ambulance Service started. Volunteer service. [NANDO, 7\/26\/70]<\/p>\n

1969, Jan 1 \u2013 Benson Rescue Squad began operating on January 1. It was headed by Whitley Hood. The squad was organized in the summer of 1968, with organizational meetings first held in August. By September 1970, they had purchased a new ambulance with some $8,000 they raised during the year. [GNA, 8\/11\/68, GNA 1\/5\/69, GNA, 9\/13\/70]<\/p>\n

1969 \u2013 Four Oaks Rescue Squad organized. By December, they had a constitution, by-laws, and officers. DeWitte Langley was the first captain. [GNA, 12\/21\/69]<\/p>\n

1970 to 1979<\/strong><\/p>\n

1970 \u2013 Princeton Civil Defense Rescue Squad, Inc. incorporated.<\/p>\n

1971, Jan 7 \u2013 Major incident. Greyhound bus overturned on I-95 near Smithfield. Three killed, 27 injured. [NO, 1\/8\/73]<\/p>\n

1971, Apr \u2013 Four Oaks RS new building dedicated. [GNA, 4\/19\/71]<\/p>\n

1971 \u2013 Princeton RS started operating. [GNA, 2\/6\/72]<\/p>\n

1971, Apr – Benson Rescue Squad, Inc. incorporated.<\/p>\n

1971 \u2013 Four Oaks RS incorporated.<\/p>\n

1972 \u2013 Selma RS incorporated.<\/p>\n

1973, Oct \u2013 Princeton RS recently reorganized. It now had 28 members and squad members were completing their training and officers would be elected in the coming days. The town was renovating the old theater building for use as headquarters of the squad and storage of the rescue unit, which had been repainted. The red or orange Chevrolet suburban [?] was repainted all-white. [GNA, 10\/28\/73; GNA, 11\/27\/73]<\/p>\n

1974, Jan 30 \u2013 Kenly Ambulance Service, Inc. incorporated. [NCSOS]<\/p>\n

1974, May 31 \u2013 Kenly Rescue and Ambulance Service, Inc. renamed from Kenly Ambulance Service. [NCSOS]<\/p>\n

1974, Sep – Micro Rescue Ambulance Service, Inc. incorporated.<\/p>\n

1975 \u2013 Smithfield Lion\u2019s Club Ambulance Service merged with Smithfield RS around this time. The squad had a 1972 Chevy Carry-All ambulance with 50,000 miles, which was listed for sale in August 1975. [NO, 8\/6\/75]<\/p>\n

1977, Mar \u2013 Clayton RS received new 1977 Ford\/Braun ambulance, new Unit 44. It cost $28,000. The old Unit 44, a 1965 Dodge, was donated to the Explorer Scouts and renamed Unit 49. [CN, 3\/30\/77]<\/p>\n

1977, Aug \u2013 Clayton Rescue & EMS, Inc. incorporated. Previously named Clayton Rescue Squad.<\/p>\n

1980 to 1989<\/strong><\/p>\n

1981 \u2013 Smithfield Rescue Squad of Johnston County Civil Defense Agency, Inc. incorporated.<\/p>\n

1981 \u2013 Johnston Ambulance Service operating by this time. [GNA, 5\/13\/81]<\/p>\n

1983, May \u2013 Clayton REMS added new ambulance on May 20. The Chevy\/______ cost $35,410 and was one of the squad\u2019s three ambulances. Other vehicles were used for crash trucks, command support, and non-emergency transport. The funding included $15,000 from the county and remaining amount raised by the squad. [CN?, 6\/1\/83]<\/p>\n

1989, Sep \u2013 Clayton Area Rescue Inc. renamed from Clayton Rescue & EMS, Inc. [NCSOS]<\/p>\n

1990 to 1999<\/strong><\/p>\n

1991, Apr – 50-210 Rescue Squad, Inc. incorporated.<\/p>\n

1992, circa \u2013 Smithfield RS merged with town. [OH]<\/p>\n

1992, Jul \u2013 County squads, all members of the Johnston County Rescue Association, started charging fees for services effective July 1. [GNA, 6\/16\/92]<\/p>\n

1995 – First paramedics in Johnston County.<\/p>\n

1996 – Mid-South Medical Transport Service, Inc., incorporated.<\/p>\n

1996, Nov \u2013 Kenly EMS, Inc. renamed from Kenly Rescue and Ambulance Service, Inc.<\/p>\n

1998, Mar \u2013 County officials approved three-year plan to revamp EMS services in the county. The decision was made last summer, when eight of the county\u2019s nine rescue squads began running out of money The county would begin paying for two new ambulances a year, but also reducing the number of ambulances on hand. The plan was based on recommendations of a committee appointed last year, consisting of rescue members, county officials, and residents. [NO, 3\/3\/98]<\/p>\n

1999 – Johnston County EMS version 1.0 created. Started with nine employees and two QRVs stationed at Elevation and Micro to provide paramedic coverage county-wide. Only Clayton, Selma, and Smithfield had paramedics. The other EMS agencies were EMT-I and Micro RAS was EMT. [OH]<\/p>\n

2000 to 2009<\/b><\/p>\n

2001, circa \u2013 Smithfield RS merged with fire department. [OH]<\/p>\n

2002, Jan \u2013 Clayton Area EMS and the fire department ended talks on a merger. They started late last year, after town threatened to stop giving the squad about $40,000 a year in funding. [NO, 1\/25\/02]<\/p>\n

2003, Jul \u2013 Benson EMS, Inc. renamed from Benson Rescue Squad, Inc.<\/p>\n

2003 \u2013 North Johnston EMS created as merger of Kenly EMS and Micro RAS.<\/p>\n

2004 \u2013 Clayton Area EMS relocated to new building on Robertson Street.<\/p>\n

2004, Oct \u2013 Benson EMS opened a second station at 3838 Meadowbrook Road off US 701. Last year, over 2,000 residents in southern Johnston County signed a petition to get the county to post a paramedic QRV in the area. The $225,000 satellite station housed a 24\/7 unit. [NO, 10\/30\/04]<\/p>\n

2005, Apr \u2013 50-210 EMS, Inc. renamed from 50-210 RS.<\/p>\n

2005, circa – Clayton Area EMS took over a portion of the county that was being served by Wendell (and Zebulon?) rescue squads as contracted by the county. The CAEMS ambulance was stationed at Corinth Holders fire station. [OH]<\/p>\n

2007, Apr \u2013 Clayton Area EMS prepared to occupy space above a car wash on Cornwallis Road and NC 42 as a substation to base an ambulance in the Cleveland Community. [NO, 4\/6\/07]<\/p>\n

2008 \u2013 Johnston County EMS version 2.0 created to provide service in Benson, Kenly, Micro, and Overshot, operating four ambulances out of four stations.<\/p>\n

2008 \u2013 Benson EMS merged with new JCEMS.<\/p>\n

2008 \u2013 North Johnston EMS merged with new JCEMS.<\/p>\n

2008, Feb \u2013 Johnston Ambulance Service relocated to 1200 W. Market Street in Smithfield.<\/p>\n

2010 to 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

2012, Jul \u2013 Clayton Area EMS merged with JCEMS effective July 1. The transition was announced in early March. CAEMS had two 24\/7 ambulances and one 12-hour unit. The EMS chief position was eliminated, but a supervisor position with a QRV was added to the Clayton EMS team. The Clayton EMS cadet program was ended, but a county-wide cadet program was planned. The county also added an extra truck to run on Sundays during peak time. Before, CAEMS was only running trucks during peak hours six days a week. The county hired about 60 new employees with their expansion into Clayton, Princeton, and Smithfield. [NO, 3\/8\/12, NO, 5\/30\/12, NO, 7\/8\/12]<\/p>\n

2012, Jul \u2013 Princeton EMS merged with JCEMS effective July 1. The squad had eight full-time and 20 part-time employees, who were offered county jobs.<\/p>\n

2012, Jul \u2013 Clayton Area EMS donated a 1997 Ford\/____ ambulance to Johnston Community College. [CNS, 7\/18\/12]<\/p>\n

2012 \u2013 Four Oaks EMS merged with JCEMS.<\/p>\n

2012 \u2013 Smithfield EMS merged with JCEMS.<\/p>\n

2014, Dec \u2013 Benson EMS, Inc. corporation dissolved.<\/p>\n

2017 \u2013 Selma EMS merged with JCEMS and began serving Pine Level, Selma, and Wilson’s Mills.<\/p>\n

2020 to Present<\/strong><\/p>\n

2021 \u2013 County did not renew the contracts for 50-210 EMS and Four Oaks EMS and their service areas would be covered by JCEMS effective July 1, 2021, when JCEMS would begin county-wide service.<\/p>\n

2021, Jul \u2013 50-210 EMS merged with JCEMS effective July 1. All assets were transferred to the agency. They occupied a building erected as an addition to the 50-210 Fire Department building, and JCEMS began leasing the space from the private fire department organization. 50-210 EMS, Inc. was dissolved in August 2021. [NCSOS]<\/p>\n

2021 Jul – Four Oaks EMS merged with JCEMS effective July 1.<\/p>\n

2021, Jul – Effective July 1, Johnston County EMS was a county-wide system.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

North Carolina Secretary of State corporation records.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Various newspaper articles. See some clippings in this Google Drive folder<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n