Changes to Wake County EMS response centered around better safety for public, first responders

Christopher DeWitt

pexels-pavel-danilyuk-6754163.jpgPhoto image courtesy Pavel Danilyuk | Pexels

Wake County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) recently announced changes to how EMS would respond to calls. The policy shift comes as a response to the traffic-related incidents that hinder EMS response and potentially put EMS workers and others at risk. Most notably, the changes mean EMS will not use sirens for every call in efforts to reduce accidents. “Since January of this year, Wake County EMS has been involved in 21 ambulance crashes while our lights and sirens have been activated,” said Victoria Gonzalez, Wake County Communications Office Public Safety Communications Consultant. “This has resulted in the total loss of two ambulances. Research done on a national level has indicated that lights and sirens use increases the likelihood of crashes and is one of the most dangerous things that first responders do.”Per recent research, out of every 100 calls Wake County EMS receives, roughly 10 to 15 require a time-critical lifesaving intervention. Wake County EMS’ current call response plan has been treating almost all these calls as time-critical emergencies. Since every second counts in a life-threatening emergency, the use of lights and sirens is standard. The new method of EMS response will make changes to better determine what situations warrant this action so responses can be safer and more effective.“Wake County EMS has a history of providing exceptional care in part by being proactive to the needs and demands of our growing community, " Gonzalez explained. “The changes we are making to our response plans and our reduction in red lights and siren use is another evolution in how we provide prompt, compassionate, and clinically excellent care to our community.”Other counties in North Carolina have implemented similar changes and seen positive results. For example, Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s EMS system (MEDIC) adjusted their response plan in a similar fashion and saw a 33% reduction in lights and siren crashes. 

Gonzalez noted that discussions around these changes and how to best implement them has been a collaborative effort across public safety departments. 

“We have been working with first responders since late August to share the coming changes and discuss the operational impacts these changes will have on all public safety departments,” said Gonzalez. “We are committed to working with our partners to ensure that these changes have a positive impact on how we care for the community.”

Gonzalez also highlighted the value of public input. There will be several opportunities for the public to speak with Wake County EMS about the future shift. 

“We look forward to engaging directly with our community to hear their feedback in community meetings over the next 6 weeks,” Gonzalez said.

To learn more about Wake County EMS, visit www.wake.gov/departments-government/emergency-medical-services-ems/about-us or call 919-856-6020. 

Christopher DeWitt is a journalist based in Raleigh, NC with seven years of experience covering local news in Wake, Duplin, and Onslow Counties. He holds a BS in Psychology from Regent University. He got his start writing for a U.S. Marine Corps newspaper, The Globe, in Camp Lejeune, NC, in 2017 to 2019. He then began freelancing for The Duplin Times in 2021 covering issues ranging from features on local leaders to community-wide events. His passion for community journalism brought him to Crossmap Raleigh in 2025. He strives to ensure every voice in Wake County is heard.