Orange County NC Website
Background <br />The Orange County Rescue Squad (OCRS) has operated within Orange <br />County, North Carolina in several forms. According to current members, the <br />unit's history spans forty years. At one time, it was part of a larger, unified <br />organization working with the current South Orange Rescue Squad (SORS) <br />unified at the insistence of former Emergency Services Director, Colonel Nick <br />Waters. Following several years of combined operation, the units split. <br />In its most recent iteration, the OCRS billed itself as a certified, all- hazard <br />rescue squad, providing rescue, extrication, dive team and special rescue <br />services responding throughout Orange County. The unit's base of <br />operations is a freestanding building located on Churton Street south of <br />downtown Hillsborough. Housed in and around the building is a collection of <br />ambulances, SUV's, trailers, vans and a heavy rescue vehicle named Rescue <br />1. By recent reports from their previous chief, the organization maintains a <br />roster of approximately forty -three members with more than twenty holding <br />officers' positions. <br />Within days of my arrival, reports began to surface from members of my staff, <br />the county fire services and other emergency response members of an <br />extensive history of unsafe and unprofessional practices, strange behavior by <br />rank - and -file members as well as their leadership. Following a brief <br />orientation of the county emergency service operations and the area, <br />information was gathered to research the basis and validity of complaints and <br />concerns. <br />This preliminary report is based on verbal and written accounts from staff <br />members, employees, area fire and rescue officers, and will list many of the <br />infractions, unsafe actions and unprofessional conduct. Because some of the <br />reports go back years, information must be hand - collated in many cases. The <br />intent of this report is to establish the reasons for the recent action ordering a <br />safety stand -down for OCRS and lay groundwork for future actions that may <br />be necessary to protect the interests of the County, OCRS members, Orange <br />County Emergency Services employees and the community at large. <br />2 <br />