Emergency medical service 24/7 coming to Charles City

Charles City District 2 Supervisor Bill Coada’s smile said it all when Charles City fire chief Archer Jones Jr. stepped to the podium at the Oct. 23 board meeting. Jones announced before the board and those in attendance that 24-hour EMS is coming to Charles City.

“We have been working with Providence Forge Rescue Squad for the last year, and more diligently the last six months,” said Jones. “We have come up with a plan to bring 24-hour EMS services to the county.”

Jones announced a launch date of Nov. 18 for around-the-clock emergency services. The proposed plan calls for the provider of Charles City’s current EMS services to work from Sunday night to Friday night. Volunteers from Charles City Volunteer Fire Department (CCVFD) and Providence Forge Volunteer Rescue Squad (PFVRS) will maintain duties from Friday night to Sunday night.

Improvements to current fire facilities are also slated. Included are additional sleeping quarters at current stations along with expansion of Station 3 in Sandy Point. Adding to the positive news of 24-hour EMS services is the possibility of a second ambulance for Charles City through a grant.

District 3 Supervisor Floyd Miles Sr. expressed the need for citizens to be patient while EMS services have been limited and the county begins its transition to 24-hour operations.

“People need to understand we only have one ambulance at this time,” he said. “You may not see a response as quickly because they are usually on a call and our constituents need to recognize that.”

Meetings between CCVFD and PFVRS to offer the new service brought praise from supervisors.

“I commend you, [PFVRS officer] John Roberts, and everybody who made this happen,” District 1 Supervisor Gilbert Smith said to Jones.

“Kudos to you guys,” added Coada. “Thank you to those on both the Providence Forge and Charles City side to make this happen.”

PFVRS member Annette Roberts said the experience will be a benefit for all parties involved.

“As a member of PFVRS, I look forward to working with CCVFD in bringing 24-hour emergency services to the county,” she said.

County resident Vince Brackett commended the board for its effort and referenced full-fledged dedication to Charles City by PFVRS since the fall-out between the squad and New Kent County.

“New Kent’s loss is Charles City’s gain,” he exclaimed.

Smith commented on one particular aspect of the 24-hour EMS that he would like to see improve.

“We had a meet and greet [on Oct. 16] and PFVRS outnumbered CCVFD three to one,” Smith said. “Now that we are going forth with this service, Charles City County needs to step up to the plate on volunteers.”

In other board matters, incidents of traffic blocked on highways during events in the county raised concern from Miles.

“I sat in traffic on Route 5 a couple of weekends ago due to the Warrior Dash at Berkeley Plantation,” he said. “I thought major roads couldn’t be blocked off unless it was an extreme emergency.

“We need to look into some sort of fee for events like this,” he continued. “We need to get serious about this.”

The event at Berkeley Plantation projected 5,000 attendees, but ended up with more than 13,000 participants.

“Unless you were a resident, you wouldn’t know how to navigate the back roads to avoid the traffic,” concluded Miles.