For several years, Guilford County Emergency Services has been helping the City of Burlington get that city’s Emergency Services Department (EMS) up and running and has provided help while that’s taken place.
Now, the Burlington EMS department is ready to take a major step by breaking with Guilford County Emergency Services in order to rely more on its own operations.
The City of Burlington has recently completed an assessment of its Emergency Services needs and capabilities – and city leaders have decided to take the emergency management program internal and end a four-year interlocal agreement for some services that have been provided by Guilford County.
The move includes taking one full-time employee – currently employed by Guilford County to oversee emergency response operations in Burlington – and transferring that position to Burlington.
In 2020, Guilford County government entered into a temporary arrangement with Burlington that called for the county to provide the city with emergency management services. That agreement was strengthened between the county and Burlington a year later.
At that time, Burlington had put out a request for proposals for emergency management services to both Alamance County and Guilford County – and Guilford County Emergency Services was chosen as the better fit and was awarded the contract.
Burlington began paying Guilford County about $150,000 a year for help while the city beefed up its own services.
Now Burlington officials feel the city’s program is far enough along that it can stand on its own.
The Guilford County Board of Commissioners is expected to approve the change at the board’s Thursday, Feb. 1 commissioners meeting. However, Guilford County will continue to provide Emergency Management Services for Burlington through March 10 of this year.
