KITTY HAWK, N.C. — Modernization has been the key focus for Dare County EMS over the last few years. A two-phase, five-facility project will be complete in 2025. Three stations opened in 2024, while the Manns Harbor and Kitty Hawk EMS stations are scheduled to open in 2025.
“The new buildings are built to a higher rating to protect the personnel and the equipment. The diversity of the workforce is being properly supported, and there's technology in them that cleans the air from vehicle exhaust in the apparatus," said Jennie Collins, chief of Dare County EMS.
The current station in Manns Harbor has served the area for decades and will eventually be demolished to make room for the new station being built right behind it. The Kitty Hawk station will be the brand-new Station 9, providing vital support to areas from which nearly half of Dare County EMS' calls come each year.
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“Kitty Hawk, Southern Shores, and Duck are very populated and represent about 46% of our total call volume throughout the year. Putting a third station, which adds another unit in deployment and another housing or supervisor vehicle, is tremendously helpful and will help ease the burden on the staff that are running back-to-back calls in that area.”
In 2023, the county received nearly 10,000 emergency calls. The hope is that these stations, especially the one in Kitty Hawk, will reduce response times and continue progress for years to come.
“Having new facilities certainly is something that we talk about when we are both recruiting and retaining our employees. Anytime employees feel like their agency is taking care of them and looking out for their needs, that's always a benefit.”
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The expectation is for the Manns Harbor Station to be operational by spring or summer, while the Kitty Hawk Station should open this fall.
