MANNS HARBOR, N.C. — Dare County EMS has moved into the new and improved Station 8 in Manns Harbor. Of all the new modernized stations, this one might have needed it the most.
"Our old facility was 30-plus years old and so now, we're really coming into the new millennium," said Terence Sheehy, operations deputy chief with Dare County EMS.
“You already see tough calls. You already go through kind of hard times at different times, so sitting in a dark station after a tough call is not the best," said Jessica Ball, an advanced EMT with Dare County EMS, talking about the decades-old previous Station 8 in Manns Harbor.
It’s not hard to spot the differences between the old and new Station 8 in Manns Harbor, with space, natural light and amenities being some of the key differences.
“I spent a lot of time here, day and night, and when you're inside, it's — to be honest, kind of hard to tell which is which. I think the optimistic word to describe the old station was 'cozy,'" said Ethan Tack, a paramedic with Dare County EMS, talking about the old station.
A brand new station has been a breath of fresh air for the first responders, both mentally and in their everyday operations.
"It's nice because there's lots of natural light, so you get that sunshine. There's more space for you to move around, so you're not just secluded to one little area. You can kind of go into the gym, or you can go outside, or you can sit in the day room and not feel like you're in a dungeon, per se," said Ball.
“We have a lot of great equipment. We're very fortunate here. Our ambulances are new. It just goes a long way to be proud of the work that you do," said Tack.
It’s all part of Dare County’s continued mission to modernize public safety buildings in the Outer Banks.
“At the end of the day, it's about the people. This is an investment in our employees so that they're in the best place to be able to deliver quality patient care and to take care of the citizens and visitors of Dare County," said Sheehy.
It’s clearly going a long way for the people who help protect and take care of us every day.
“Just having a nice, new station with new stuff, individual bunk rooms, a gym, it's going to make the world of a difference," said Ball.
There will be a ribbon cutting for the new station, with a date that is yet to be determined. The old station will need to be demolished before that happens.
For more information about the next phase of modernizing public safety buildings in Dare County, head to the organization's website here.
