by Leah Justice
Polk County was recently given accolades from the state after receiving random inspections of two Polk County Emergency Medical Service (EMS) ambulances and one Polk County Rescue Squad with no deficiencies found.
The Polk County Board of Commissioners Monday, Jan. 6  reviewed a letter received from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Service Regulation’s Western Regional Office Manager Charles Lewis.
“Our agency periodically conducts unannounced inspections of permitted EMS vehicles in North Carolina as a service to citizens and to give feedback to EMS systems,” Lewis’ letter to interim Polk County Manager Marche Pittman said. “We recently conducted ramp inspections in Polk County. On Nov. 5, 2013, our staff conducted ramp inspections at Polk County EMS. We inspected two ambulances from this agency (1 and 2) and found no deficiencies. The crew was courteous as well as professional and we enjoyed working with them.”
Polk EMS Director Michael Crater met with commissioners and said the random inspections found no issues at either Polk EMS or the rescue squad.
“We just feel like we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing,” Crater said.
Crater has been Polk’s EMS director since July 2013.