 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AUGUST 31, 2010  |
CONTACT: Paula Lineberry, PTAR Chief EMAIL: lineberry747@northstate.net OFFICE PHONE: 336-887-3411 CELL PHONE: 336-669-9426 PTAR Opens 5th Base Station In Asheboro, N.C. New Base Station Open House & Building Dedication Ceremony Was Held On August 15, 2010. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ photographs contained within this press release, or from our website. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
 (L-R) Darrell Frye, Vice-Chairman of Randolph County Board of Commissioners, PTAR Chief Paula Lineberry, and U.S. Congressman Howard Coble cut the ribbon during the Open House & Building Dedication Ceremony for PTAR's new Base Station at 108 East Balfour Avenue, Asheboro, N.C. Photo August 15, 2010  PTAR Chief Paula Lineberry (center) presented awards to EMT-I Jane Wooters (left) and EMT-I Michael Allred (right) for 22 years of service to PTAR, including 18 years of service to the citizens of Randolph County. The awards are in recognition of them being instrumental in a PTAR ambulance first starting to provide service in Randolph County on a regular "as needed" basis in early 1992, running scheduled patient transport calls so that Randolph County EMS Paramedic ambulances could remain available to answer emergency calls. Their continued efforts later resulted in a PTAR ambulance being placed in service in Asheboro on January 2, 1996 on a daily "prime-time" basis. Then, in 2008, PTAR expanded to having that same ambulance stationed in Asheboro 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year. The awards also recognize that Jane's and Michael's efforts over the past 18 years have been instrumental in PTAR's continued growth in Randolph County, which resulted in a new PTAR Base Station being constructed in Asheboro this year.  New PTAR Ambulance Base Station At 108 East Balfour Avenue, Asheboro, NC Photo August 15, 2010  New PTAR Ambulance Base Station At 108 East Balfour Avenue, Asheboro, NC Photo August 05, 2010 >>> Click Here To See Google Map <<< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Piedmont Triad Ambulance & Rescue, Inc. (PTAR) held an Open House & Building Dedication Ceremony on August 15, 2010 for their new ambulance Base Station in Asheboro, N.C. Their new Base Station in northern Asheboro is their 5th facility. It is located at 108 East Balfour Avenue, directly behind the First Bank building at the corner of North Fayetteville Street and East Balfour Avenue. PTAR Chief Paula Lineberry, and Board Chairman Gart Evans, welcomed everyone to the Open House & Building Dedication Ceremony. They also recognized and thanked Jeff Patton, Vice Chairman of the PTAR Board, and Chairman of the Building Committee. Gart Evans said, "He was really the gentleman who took the lead on this project. And Jeff, on behalf of the Board, we really appreciate your leadership in making sure that this building was done in the manner that is has been." Jeff Patton has served as a volunteer with PTAR for the past 24 years, since first joining them in 1986. His wife, Holly, has been a PTAR volunteer for 21 years since joining in 1989. She is also on the Board of Directors. Guests included U.S. Congressman Howard Coble; N.C. Senator Jerry Tillman; Darrell Frye, Vice-Chairman of Randolph County Board of Commissioners; David Smith, Mayor of Asheboro; Talmadge Baker, Asheboro Mayor Pro Tempore; Eddie Burks, Asheboro Council Member; Donovan Davis, Director of Randolph County Emergency Services and several members of his staff; Gordon Joyner, Executive Director of the N.C. Association of Rescue & EMS; Joel Faircloth, NCAREMS Associate Director; Bill Henderson, NCAREMS Area-VIII Director; Carnie Hedgepeth, NCAREMS Chaplain & Area-II Director, and others. The General Contractor for the new PTAR Base Station was Williard-Stewart. They began construction operations in August 2009, and completed the building in August 2010, just a few days prior to the Open House & Building Dedication Ceremony. Gart Evans recognized and thanked Jim Marion, Project Manager at Williard-Stewart, saying, "He did a tremendous job and, Jim, thank you so much for the work that you did here." He added, "And we also have Jim Stewart with us. Jim, we appreciate very much the job of Williard-Stewart." PTAR officials have been especially pleased to have begun and completed the construction of their new Base Station building during these uncertain economic times, as the facility has provided jobs for a number of local construction workers throughout the past year. Gart Evans said, "This is a very, very proud moment for us. You know, as we look across the country and across our community, at the economy this past year, it's not been very good. So, we are very, very blessed as we look at what PTAR has been able to do over the last several years. We look at not only maintaining the status quo, and maintaining our own, but across the State, unfortunately, we've seen several rescue squads closed, we've seen several rescue squads being absorbed by County agencies, and we are fortunate enough not only to maintain the status quo, but to be expanding, and to be growing. And, again, this is an example of that here today." He added, "We're being strong, even in this economic time. That's not by accident. We have strived over the last several years to have the very best in equipment, and we think that we do. We have strived to have top-notch facilities, and you can see that here today. But the most important thing is we have strived to have an excellent staff. And, again, you will meet some of those folks here today the folks who really make up what PTAR is all about. "And with that, I will introduce Chief Paula Lineberry, our Chief of PTAR and the person that will take over the rest of our program. Paula..." Chief Paula Lineberry introduced the first speaker, saying, "At this time we would like to ask the Honorable Howard Coble to come forward and say a few words for us." Congressman Coble said, "Thank you, Paula. In the room next door, there was a vacant seat. And I remember Willie Mays, the great baseball player, once was quoted as having said, 'If you can sit rather than stand... sit.' So, in honor of Willie Mays, I took that chair out there today. I didn't push anybody out of the way, though, Darrell," referring to Randolph County Commissioners' Vice-Chairman Darrell Frye. "I just told the Mayor, it's always good to be in the Capital City of Randolph County. And today is a special day. And I don't mean to be critical, folks, of my fellow Americans, but most of us Americans take for granted ambulance and rescue personnel, law enforcement personnel, and firefighters. "But 9/11 changed that. Those 3 groups are no longer taken for granted. Before, I think they were... Oh, we appreciated the firefighter when he came to extinguish the fire, we appreciated the ambulance and rescue folks when they were on the scene of a call. But, all in all, it came together with 9/11. Too bad it took that for it to happen. But thanks for what you all do. "And thank you, Paula, for inviting me to be with you on this very special day in your new facility, and best wishes to all of you." Returning to the podium, Chief Lineberry said, "Okay, it looks like we missed the Invocation. We'll go back, and we'll do that now." She then introduced Carnie Hedgepeth, NCAREMS Chaplain & Area-II Director. Carnie Hedgepeth said, "You know, all through the Scriptures we can look and the Bible tells us that we are to be people of service. Service for our fellow neighbors. "When Jesus summed up the Commandments, He summed them up into two things. He said, 'You are to love God with all of your heart, all of your soul, and all of your mind.' And we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. "And all through that New Testament, it tells us that we are to put others first. You know, the first are going to be last, and the last are going to be first when we look at the Kingdom of Heaven. "And also with that, we just know that everything we have been taught, is about service to other people. And what a wonderful time it is for us to be able to celebrate a new building, and even more service, and to be able to continue that service to our neighbors," he said. He then spoke a prayer. Chief Lineberry then introduced Darrell Frye, Vice-Chairman of the Randolph County Commissioners. Commissioner Frye began by saying, "Thank you, Paula. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My comments this afternoon will be two-fold. "First of all, to congratulate this organization on opening this nice facility. It's an indication of your success as a business, as a company, the ability to run it successfully, and to continue to expand and provide the services to the community," he said. "Most of all it is an indication of the compassion and the concern that you have for the health and well-being of others. I know a little more about the organization through Bill Osborne (former PTAR Chief) a lifelong friend of my family." He continued by saying, "My second comments this afternoon are to say 'thank you'. To say 'thank you' to Piedmont Triad Ambulance & Rescue for providing a needed service to the citizens of Randolph County. Not only have you been there to respond in our time of need, but I've often said, talking about budget times and what we can do and maybe what we can't do, but if it's your child, your mother, your spouse at 2 o'clock in the morning, you want somebody to answer. You want somebody to respond, and provide the service that you need to perhaps spare the life of your loved one. "And this organization has been there to help us do that. Not only with the direct service they provide, but you have added to the efficiency and the ability of Randolph County EMS to deliver our services. You have complimented us very well. You've been a great presence in the Archdale-Trinity area, where I live, for a number of years. And it's great to be here today and to see you expand, and again to know the success that you've enjoyed as an organization." Commissioner Frye concluded his remarks by saying, "And thank you again, on behalf of the citizens of Randolph County." Chief Lineberry then introduced Donovan Davis, Director of Randolph County Emergency Medical Services. Stepping to the podium, Mr. Davis said, "Thank you, Paula. Thank you everyone for being here." He then said, "I can't congratulate PTAR enough on this wonderful facility. Paula has done an excellent job with making my employees now jealous of this new facility. So, they're hanging out up here for a couple of days. "I'm going to echo what Commissioner Frye said, and everyone else before me, that we can't thank PTAR enough for being in Randolph County. This year, we will respond to almost 18,000 calls. That's an increase in a 2-year period of about 2,500 calls," he said. "We don't know why. Everything is increasing, but every day we're busier and busier. We could not do what we do without Piedmont Triad Ambulance & Rescue in Randolph County." He added, "You have a wonderful facility, your employees are very skilled and dedicated, and I can't thank you enough." He continued by saying, "Also, I want to say that Chief Lineberry is a wonderful advocate for PTAR and for intermediate services in Randolph County. Intermediate EMTs have come a long way in what they can do. They don't just do convalescent calls any more. We rely on them to respond to emergency calls, and they handle those calls, and transport the patients with care and compassion where ever they need to go. "And so I want to say again, thank you all for coming today. Thanks to Chief Lineberry and all of the staff at Piedmont Triad Ambulance & Rescue, and to their Board of Directors." Chief Lineberry replied by saying, "I personally would like to thank everyone for being here today. It's hot and I'm burning up, and I'm glad I've got some good staff because I might need an IV in a few minutes. "But, I really appreciate you coming out and sharing this special day with us, because it's been a long time in coming. A tremendous amount of work has gone into preparing this facility, and I would like to once again thank the PTAR Board of Directors for being visionaries. They were the driving force behind seeing the need, and allowing us to construct this facility." She added, "I would also like to thank my staff. Field Supervisor Patsy Hege has been a driving force behind me to get things done, and to prepare for this day. And she is very supportive. Joe Brown is our Facilities Manager. He has put in untold hours, as well." Chief Lineberry said, "We are happy to be here today, and it is my job to tell you just a little about the history of how this came about." Piedmont Triad Ambulance & Rescue, Inc. (PTAR), which was first chartered on August 18, 1971 as High Point Rescue Squad, is a private non-profit organization which provides all levels of emergency medical assistance, as well as rescue service, transportation for convalescents and wheelchair-bound patients, and "stand-by" service for special events in the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina. PTAR currently operates 17 ambulances in their local service area on a daily basis, with 14 being assigned throughout Guilford County, and the other 3 answering calls throughout Randolph County and Davidson County. They also maintain 3 reserve ambulances. In addition, 4 of those ambulances are on-duty 24-hours-a-day to supplement County EMS resources. They staff all of their ambulances at the Advanced Life Support (ALS) level with at least one State Certified EMT-Intermediate (EMT-I) crew member on each ambulance. Although PTARs primary role is non-emergency responses and scheduled patient transports, they often fill-in on emergency calls when they are closer than County EMS units. They also augment County EMS resources by responding to multiple casualty incidents and disasters, and are available to respond on emergency calls when no County EMS Paramedic units are available, operating under County Medical Control and adhering to the County EMS System protocols. PTAR's local service area includes High Point, Greensboro, Jamestown, Asheboro, Archdale, Trinity, Thomasville, Lexington, and other areas of Guilford, Randolph and Davidson counties. The organization also provides transportation outside its normal service area, including many out-of-state trips. The PTAR staff, led by Chief Paula Lineberry, Field Supervisor Patsy Hege, and Rescue Captain Dwight McDowell, is comprised of roughly 80 full-time and part- time employees, including several office staff members, and about 25 Volunteers. In addition to operating 20 ALS licensed ambulances, they have 1 Heavy Rescue Truck, 3 Boats, 1 Special Operations Trailer, 1 Wheelchair Van, 1 Emergency Support Vehicle, a 6-wheel All-Terrain-Vehicle, and 3 Staff Vehicles. PTAR also equips their ambulances with some of the most advanced equipment in the business, including electronic defibrillators for cardiac arrest patients, and an in-vehicle wireless network which integrates all data communications, including medical devices, patient care records, GPS mapping, driver and safety monitoring, and dispatch systems. It allows the seamless transmission of information between their ambulances in the field and operations command. When one of PTAR's wireless network-equipped ambulances arrives at a hospital, it has taken the fastest, satellite-guided route, has wirelessly transmitted patient information to the ER in advance, and has printed a patient care record on-board the vehicle all of which provides critical data to doctors and nurses at the ER. With the opening of their newest Base Station in Asheboro, PTAR now operates out of five Base Stations. Their Headquarters Station is located at 901 South Elm Street in southern High Point. They also have a Base Station at 600 Huffine Mill Road in northeast Greensboro, and at 300 Concord Street in southwest Greensboro, and in western Guilford County at 2011 Sandy Ridge Road in the Colfax community. Their Administrative Offices are located at 1422 South Main Street, in High Point, N.C. PTAR is one of the largest private, non-profit medical transportation companies in the State of North Carolina. Their new Base Station is strategically located between Randolph County's EMS Station at 2222 South Fayetteville Street in Asheboro, and Randolph County's EMS Station on Academy Street in Randleman distances of about 5 miles and 6 miles respectively. That could result in a PTAR ambulance arriving on the scene of an emergency in the northern Asheboro area, or southern Randleman area, several minutes ahead of a Randolph County EMS unit a factor which could prove critical to the survival of a patient involved in a life-threatening situation. PTAR began serving the Randolph County area shortly after they were first formed as the High Point Rescue Squad in 1971, according to Chief Lineberry. "But it was usually on a mutual-aid type of agreement back then just as a request," she said. In the early part of 1992, PTAR increased its service to Randolph County a move that came about as a direct result of the efforts of two of their EMTs. Chief Lineberry said, "Our documentation is a little sketchy as to when we actually went forward with it. We had to do some tracing back, but sometime around the early part of 1992, I was a Dispatcher in the office, and Jane Wooters and Michael Allred were crew members on Piedmont-28, which was based in Greensboro. They would come to High Point, pick up their ambulance, and go to Greensboro to run calls." At that time, EMT-I Jane Wooters worked full-time for Randolph County EMS and EMT-I Michael Allred worked full-time at Moore County EMS. On their days off from their full-time jobs, they worked part-time for PTAR, running mostly non-emergency transport calls in Greensboro. They would drive to High Point each day and pick up a PTAR ambulance, then drive to Greensboro to run calls. At the end of their shift, they would return the ambulance to High Point, then drive back home. "Jane and Mike would come in off of their 24-hour shift with their County EMS jobs, and they would realize how busy it had been, maybe the night before or the morning of them getting off work." Chief Lineberry said. Wooters and Allred decided to see if they could help out by running some of the non-emergency transport calls in Randolph County. Chief Lineberry said, "Jane would maybe talk to some Dispatchers, and knew what was coming up for the day for Randolph County. So we knew that there were some convalescent calls holding that the Paramedics were going to have to take. We started a conversation back and forth, and when Jane and Mike would come in on their days off from their full-time jobs we would send them to Asheboro to pick up a few of those convalescent calls to help out with their call volume." They coordinated their efforts with the Dispatchers at Randolph County's Communications Center, who would make a list of scheduled trips for the following day. When Wooters and Allred arrived at PTAR's Base Station in High Point each morning to pick up an ambulance and before driving to Greensboro to run calls there they would telephone the Randolph County Communications Center to see if they had any scheduled transports. If so, they would take their ambulance to Asheboro, run the scheduled transport calls, then drive to Greensboro to work the rest of their shift. With a PTAR ambulance handling some of the non-emergency transport calls, the Randolph County EMS Paramedics were more often available to answer emergency calls without any delays. "So, that went on for a little while," she added, "but Jane and Mike didn't work for us every day, so on the days that they were not working on Piedmont-28 we didn't go to Asheboro. And it was noticed when they were not there doing that." As time went by, the scheduled non-emergency transport calls in Randolph County increased to the point that it justified placing a PTAR ambulance there on a daily "prime-time" basis. On January 2, 1996 PTAR received approval to actually station an ambulance in Asheboro. "So, we did that," said Chief Lineberry. She said that between calls, "We really didn't have a place to be... We just kind of drove around... We were our own little office on wheels. Randolph County was gracious enough, though, to let us stay in 'temporary quarters' at their ambulance base down at the Ira McDowell Center." EMT-I Jane Wooters and EMT-I Michael Allred played a major role in that expansion of PTAR's service in Randolph County. Wooters retired from Randolph County EMS and began working full-time at PTAR in Asheboro. Allred continues working full-time at Moore County EMS, and works part-time at PTAR in Asheboro. Several years later, in 2003, PTAR became an official ambulance franchise of Randolph County when the Randolph County Commissioners formally adopted an Ambulance Franchise Ordinance. That provided PTAR with the opportunity to assist Randolph County's Paramedics even more by answering both emergency and non-emergency calls throughout Randolph County. That was made possible due to the fact that PTAR ambulances and personnel are permitted, licensed and certified by the State of North Carolina at the Advanced Life Support (ALS) level. In addition to about 75% of PTAR's staff being certified at the EMT-I level, a number of part-time employees at PTAR work full-time as Paramedics at several different County EMS agencies, and have a great deal more training hours than an EMT-I. That makes PTAR's personnel some of the best trained of any private, non-profit medical transportation company in the State of North Carolina. PTAR's personnel train on a regular basis to increase and improve their skills. They regularly participate in statewide competitions, where they often win trophies. In addition, they have been given numerous "Life Saving Awards" over the years for successfully reviving cardiac arrest patients. Since PTAR ambulances operate at the ALS level, they can respond on both emergency and non-emergency calls whenever no County Paramedic ambulance is available, as Randolph County EMS Director Donovan Davis noted. They can also respond along with County Paramedic ambulances on multi-casualty events. Sometimes PTAR will be dispatched along with a County Paramedic ambulance when it is not known for sure if the patient will require Paramedic-level assistance. If they do, the County Paramedics will care for and transport the patient. If not, the Paramedics will sometimes turn the patient over to PTAR for transport to the hospital, leaving the County Paramedic ambulance in-service and available to answer another more urgent emergency call. Moving forward, PTAR expanded their service in Randolph County once again in 2008, when they began running calls there 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year. That required the addition of more personnel to staff the PTAR ambulance on an around-the-clock basis. Their Asheboro staff now includes about a dozen EMTs. During the past 14 years since PTAR first began operating an ambulance on a daily basis in Randolph County in 1996, Chief Lineberry said, "We were still just kind of roving around town and staying in 'temporary quarters' at the Randolph County EMS Station in Asheboro." She said that during that time, the Asheboro PTAR ambulance and crew members have shared somewhat cramped quarters with Randolph County EMS personnel and vehicles at that location. The PTAR ambulance has usually had to be parked outside, and crew members have had limited office and living space available inside the building. PTAR crews have frequently spent much of their "down time" at the home of one of their crew members who lives near downtown Asheboro as well as sometimes sleeping there at night as a result of the insufficient space at the Randolph County EMS Station. On nights whenever PTAR crews would sleep at the Randolph County EMS Station, they often had to take turns with the County Paramedics sleeping on a sofa. Chief Lineberry said, "I understand that a lot of people snore and stuff, and it got really cramped, so that was when we approached the PTAR Board about getting our own place. So, we did." PTAR's move to a new, more spacious building will not only provide them more room for their ambulances and equipment and more living space for their crew members but will also free up space at the Randolph County EMS Station for the County Paramedics. It will also give PTAR room to expand in the future, if needed. The new 4,000 square foot brick building on Balfour Avenue has room to house 3 ambulances and/or other emergency vehicles. It also provides living quarters for crew members, including 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, office space and an exercise room, as well as storage space for equipment and supplies. Chief Lineberry said, "It's been with great pride and dedication that we take in having this facility. And the people who work here provide phenomenal service to our citizens... You just don't know." She recognized the PTAR employees who will be staffing the new Base Station in Asheboro, asking those present to stand. In describing the importance of PTAR personnel to the citizens of Randolph County, Chief Lineberry said, "I tried to ride with Jane Wooters a few times on Saturday... It was downhill all day. Everywhere we went, people asked 'Where is your partner?' Because they wanted to know where Mike was, because Jane and Mike must know everybody in Asheboro. They are a roving atlas, they know every street. I didn't have to look up anywhere we needed to go because she just drove me there. "But, 'Where's Mike... Where's Mike?...' That's all I heard," she said. "I got a little jealous with that, but it was okay. It told me one thing: The citizens of Randolph County are very, very fortunate to have these folks, and the many others that we have, because they know the citizens and they know their way around. So, you're very fortunate." She then asked EMT-I Jane Wooters and EMT-I Michael Allred to join her at the podium for a special presentation. As they approached the podium, she said, "Jane and Mike have been a driving force with this for many years. And now, I want to take this time to publicly thank them both of them for the time and effort that they've put into building us up as we have been in Randolph County." She added, "They were the driving force that got us here to start with in the early days. They've been with us throughout 22 years. They came to work when my hair was a different color. They both were very instrumental in PTAR being here, and for this I would like to present a plaque to each of them." Chief Lineberry read aloud what the plaques say: "With heartfelt appreciation for your loyalty and dedication to the emergency medical service community. Your sense of pride and compassion are a ray of hope to the citizens we serve. Your efforts have been instrumental in our continued growth." She added, "I think that says it all, right there." She also presented Wooters and Allred with framed photographs of each of them standing in front of a PTAR ambulance. Following that special presentation, a ribbon cutting ceremony has held to officially open the new facility. Chief Lineberry wielded a large pair of scissors to cut the ribbon. She was assisted by U.S. Congressman Howard Coble; Darrell Frye, Vice-Chairman of Randolph County Board of Commissioners; David Smith, Mayor of Asheboro; and Donovan Davis, Director of Randolph County Emergency Services. As the ribbon was cut, an announcement was made over the new station's loudspeaker by a Randolph County Emergency Services Dispatcher, who said: "Attention all EMS units, Randolph County Emergency Services is happy to announce that Piedmont Triad Ambulance & Rescue's new base in Asheboro Base-11 is now open and in-service on East Balfour Avenue in north Asheboro. Authority of Randolph County Emergency Services 800, on this 15th day of August, 2010 at 14:40 hours." Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, a Benediction was provided by Carnie Hedgepeth, NCAREMS Chaplain & Area-II Director. The ceremony was concluded with PTAR Board Chairman Gart Evans inviting all of the guests to tour the new building, and to enjoy some punch and refreshments.
Chief's Page | Our Members | Employment | Training Page | Events Page Dispatchers | Photographs | Kid's Pages | Payments | Donations Your Privacy | Related Links | Patches Page | Contact Us ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |