County emergency services begins for southern Beaufort County

CHOCOWINITY, N.C. (WNCT) — People in the southern part of Beaufort County are going to have better access to emergency care.

The county is housing an emergency transport ambulance in the Blounts Creek Volunteer Fire Department. Officials say it’s important for people who need emergency care in that part of the county. Since 2016, Blounts Creek has only had an emergency QRV vehicle.

This new vehicle is housed at the Blounts Creek Volunteer Fire Department and is equipped with professionals who can provide emergency care. But it can’t take people to the hospital. Now, the county emergency services are changing that. It has a fully equipped team and ambulance to respond to those emergencies.

“We can do a lot of things in the field as paramedics and particularly stabilizing a patient,” said Beaufort County Emergency Services Director Chris Newkirk. “But there are call types that the best outcome for the patient is dependent upon how fast we can get them to the hospital.

“So some of the calls that we often talk about, an EMT. Like your heart attacks, that’s always a big one, right? If I have a heart attack, how long it takes us to get them to the hospital is critical to the outcome of that patient.”

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