Orange County NC Website
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: November 16, 2004 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. $-q <br />SUBJECT: Public Hearings for EMS & Rescue Franchise Agreements (& First Reading) <br />DEPARTMENT: Emergency Management/ PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) Yes <br />Attorney <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Proposed Franchise Agreement Kent McKenzie, ext 3030 <br />by Ordinance Sean Borhanian, 732-2196 <br /> TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br /> Hillsborough 732-8181 <br /> Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br /> Durham 688-7331 <br /> Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To conduct a public hearing on granting proposed ambulance franchise <br />agreements by ordinance to the two active volunteer rescue squads in the County, and to <br />consider approving these agreements on first reading. <br />BACKGROUND: The Orange County EMS, Rescue, and First Responder Franchise <br />Ordinance (reissued April 20, 1993) requires that organizations which provide Emergency <br />Medical Services (EMS) or Rescue services be franchised by the County to engage in those <br />activities. North Carolina law establishes a public hearing notice/scheduling requirement related <br />to the granting of ambulance franchises. NCGS §153A-250(a) states that "before it may adopt <br />an ordinance pursuant to [that] subsection, the board of commissioners must first hold a public <br />hearing on the need for ambulance services." The purpose of the public hearing is to help the <br />BOCC find if the franchise is "necessary to assure the provision of adequate and continuing <br />ambulance service and to preserve, protect, and promote the public health, safety, and <br />welfare." Once the BOCC makes this finding, it can permit the franchise by ordinance. NCGS <br />§153A-46 provides that "no ordinance making a grant, renewal, extension, or amendment of <br />any franchise may be finally adopted until it has been passed at two regular meetings of the <br />board of commissioners" and that "no such grant, renewal, extension, or amendment may be <br />made except by ordinance." <br />Prior to January 2000, there were two separate franchised rescue squads in Orange County: <br />Orange County Rescue Squad in Hillsborough and South Orange Rescue Squad in Carrboro. <br />Each of these agencies was franchised by the Commissioners to provide Emergency Medical <br />and Rescue services. In January 2000, the two squads merged to form one agency, Orange <br />EMS & Rescue Squad, Incorporated. Orange County has continued to contract with this <br />merged agency to provide EMS and Rescue Services. <br />