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19 <br /> • Located in center of Northern Orange County <br /> CONCLUSION <br /> • More strategic planning needed <br /> • Continue our work with fire partners <br /> • Continuing providing excellence in service <br /> • Prepared, Coordinated and Integrated Emergency Services System <br /> Future Protections- Dinah Jeffries <br /> Orange County Emergency Services EMS is an on-going and at times almost continuous <br /> service that functions 24-hours a day throughout the entire County. Not all existing locations <br /> were based on strategic planning, so this concern must be addressed as a long term issue in <br /> future planning. Fire and EMS personnel work together throughout the county every day and <br /> the common goal to always provide more than is expected remains throughout the system. <br /> Staff will provide any other information at the meeting, and the governing boards can discuss <br /> issues and provide feedback to staff related to this item as necessary. <br /> Dinah Jeffries said the vision is that this emergency services system be prepared, <br /> coordinated, and integrated, and this requires the continued cooperation of all involved parties, <br /> for which she is very grateful. She said Orange County has some of the best trained, and most <br /> professional, responders in the State, and the nation. <br /> Carrboro Council Member Slade said Carrboro just completed a facility assessment, and <br /> he is intrigued to hear about co-location, as the Carrboro fire station has some adjacent space. <br /> He said if the County provided funding, there could be room to build onto the station in <br /> Carrboro. He said the stand-alone station in downtown Carrboro is an economic development <br /> opportunity. <br /> Dinah Jeffries said her department is open to all invites. She said that the stand-alone <br /> station in Carrboro is South Orange Rescue Squad (SORS), which has very limited space to <br /> co-locate EMS there. <br /> Commissioner McKee commended EMS and the fire departments, and said he <br /> remembered the skepticism years ago about co-locations. He encouraged the re-staffing of the <br /> Orange Grove Fire Department co-location. He said he is aware of 2 situations where the <br /> ambulance being in Orange Grove allowed for tragedy to be avoided. <br /> Mayor Lavelle said Carrboro has one of the highest call volumes, and asked if EMS is at <br /> fire station number 1 in Carrboro. <br /> Kim Woodward said EMS is located at both fire stations in Carrboro, but call locations <br /> are all calls in Carrboro. <br /> Mayor Lavelle said Carrboro has a new Fire Chief called Dave Schmidt. <br /> Hillsborough Commissioner Member Hughes said Hillsborough has the second highest <br /> call volume, and asked if this refers to Hillsborough proper or the greater Hillsborough <br /> Township. <br /> Dinah Jeffries said the greater Hillsborough Township, and this includes station 1 and 5. <br /> She said the reason Hillsborough's numbers have grown so much is due to the additional <br /> medical facilities in the area. She said there EMS is there daily. <br /> Chapel Hill Council Member Buansi thanked Emergency Services, and asked if the need <br /> for mutual aid partners is comparable with past years. <br /> Kim Woodard said the need is less now, as compared to 2010, but the trend is moving <br /> up, and staff is keeping a close eye. She said it would be great if Orange and surrounding <br /> counties could work this out, but there are days that are surge days, and they do not parse out <br />