Pender County to assume EMS and fire operations beginning July 5

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) –Pender County will officially assume operations of Pender EMS & Fire and Penderlea Fire Department on July 5, completing an emergency services merger that county leaders have been working toward since early 2025.

The transition creates the new Pender County Emergency Services Department, which will include a Fire Division, EMS Division, Emergency Management, Logistics, Field Communications, Training and Professional Development, and the Fire Marshal’s Office. The department will be overseen by the Pender County Emergency Services director.

Personnel from Pender EMS & Fire will become Pender County employees with applicable county benefits. Penderlea Fire Department, which has no full-time employees, will continue to rely on its volunteer firefighters. Volunteers from both agencies will remain active.

County officials emphasized that residents should not notice any changes in emergency response.

“The service delivery model will not change, and station locations and apparatus allocations will remain the same,” the county said in a news release. “The same dedicated personnel will be responding to emergency calls.”

Assets and property currently used to provide emergency services will transfer to the county for continued use.

Pender County commissioners approved the emergency services merger plan in June 2025 following months of discussion over how fire and EMS services should be provided countywide. The plan was approved in a 3-2 vote and called for creating a county-operated emergency services department while maintaining existing service levels.

Since then, county leaders have provided regular updates as workgroups prepared for the transition, addressing issues including staffing, technology, facilities, communications and employee benefits. Earlier this year, commissioners also discussed how employees moving to county employment would transition into the North Carolina Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System. County officials said affected employees would receive credit for their years of service and be able to roll over their existing retirement accounts.

County staff, Pender EMS & Fire, Penderlea Fire Department and North Carolina Fire Chief Consulting have spent months preparing for the transition, including coordinating staffing, technology support, fleet operations, emergency communications and compliance with state requirements.

Over time, stations, fire apparatus, ambulances and equipment will be rebranded. During the transition, residents may see vehicles labeled Pender EMS & Fire, Penderlea Fire or Pender County.