In this Issue of Hey Cherokee County…

✅ Renovated EMS Station Reopens in Andrews as County Prepares to Launch Community Paramedic Program

✅ Verizon Gets FCC Approval to Retire Copper Phone Service in Cherokee County

Cherokee County Events

September 14th

September 16th-19th

September 17th

September 19th

September 26th

October 12th

October 24th

October 31st

October 31st

November 9th

November 21st

On a mountain road in western North Carolina, a family in crisis doesn't always wait for an ambulance. Sometimes they load into a car and drive toward help because they know the roads are long and the ambulance isn't close.

It's a reality that Cherokee County Emergency Management Services knows well. Call volume has more than doubled in fifteen years. Turnaround times are pushing two hours. And five ambulances are covering 455 square miles of rugged terrain divided by two lakes.

“People are building farther into the mountains and farther from town, which can increase the time it takes for emergency crews to reach them. At the same time, hospitals are experiencing staffing and capacity challenges, which can sometimes mean longer wait times when we arrive with a patient,” said Jessica Mariano, Emergency Services Manager for Cherokee County EMS.

When Mariano started with the county fifteen years ago, EMS was running fewer than 3,000 calls a year. Today that number has more than doubled to 7,000. Andrews felt that directly — for just over a year, crews serving the Valley Town corridor were running calls out of Marble, adding four minutes to every response. The renovation of EMS Station 2 closes that gap. 

"Not only do you have a faster response time," Mariano said, "but they know we're here. They can come here." 

There is, however, a challenge that no renovation can fix: in rural Cherokee County, many homes have no streetside mailbox, no mile marker, and no visible address at the road. 

“If you know your address, it’s helpful to have it clearly marked somewhere visible, especially at the end of your road,” Mariano said. “In an emergency, having an address that’s easy to see can make it much easier for responders to locate you quickly.”

The EMS Station 2 renovation added two new crew rooms and two bathrooms, converted the old kitchen and day room into a workout room and additional office space, and modernized the HVAC system throughout. Total cost: just over one million dollars, with $500,000 covered by a grant and the remainder paid by the county.

"It gives us future growth," Mariano said, "as in an additional ambulance here in the Andrews area, as the population increases."

The county's EMS workforce is fully staffed at 46 full-time and 18 part-time employees. That workforce is also about to expand its reach in a way that has nothing to do with ambulances. 

Cherokee County EMS has been awarded a $259,000 federal grant to launch a community paramedic program. The program would place a specially certified paramedic into proactive, non-emergency roles in the community. 

“Community paramedicine expands the role of paramedics beyond emergency response, allowing them to provide care, support, and connections to health resources within the community,” Mariano said.

In practice, that could mean following up on patients after a hospital or ER discharge, and making proactive visits to addresses that keep generating 911 calls. 

"Sometimes your elderly, they'll have a lot of trip hazards — rugs, extension cords, books or something in the floor," Mariano explained. "If you just go in and maybe walk around with them…you can kind of see what's going on and help them readjust."

That kind of intervention, she said, doesn't just help the individual; it reduces repeat calls and keeps ambulance crews available for new emergencies. The county already has a couple of paramedics who hold the community paramedic certification, Mariano said. Under the grant, one will move off an ambulance into the community role, with that ambulance position filled by a new hire. The grant runs for one year, with the option to reapply for five additional years.

Cherokee County EMS operates four stations countywide, located in Murphy, Hiwassee Dam, Marble, and Andrews. The stations’ doors are open to the public, and visits are welcome.

"It's better if kids meet us in a non-emergency," Mariano said. "We do a lot of homeschool tours and stuff like that, so it's always nice for the public to come out and interact with us when we're not in an emergency.”  

Frontier and Verizon have received federal approval to discontinue copper-based phone service at some locations in Cherokee County beginning after Nov. 16, but the company says customers will be allowed to keep their existing service if a replacement is not available.

Frontier Communications of the Carolinas LLC, now a Verizon company, filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission on July 7 seeking permission to discontinue residential and business legacy voice service over copper lines in portions of North Carolina.

In a letter to county commissioners, Verizon said the FCC approved the application Aug. 21 with an effective discontinuance date of Nov. 16. Verizon said that date gives the company authority to discontinue copper service but does not mean customers will lose service immediately.

Verizon said it is still identifying which wire centers, exchanges, communities and customers will be affected first. The company expects to begin communicating with affected customers in phases sometime after Nov. 16.

The company said it will only discontinue copper service at locations where customers have access to an approved replacement through Verizon. Some locations in Cherokee County already meet that requirement, while others do not.

Customers who do not currently have access to an approved replacement will be allowed to remain on copper service until one becomes available.

That issue was among the concerns raised by the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners in August when the board sent letters to AT&T, Frontier and Verizon seeking information about the future of landline service in the county.

At the Aug. 18 commissioners meeting, County Manager Randy Wiggins told the board that carriers were in the process of retiring their copper networks as the number of customers using traditional landlines continued to decline.

Commissioner Sue Lynn Ledford raised concerns about residents who do not have access to broadband service.

“That’s an easy fix if you have broadband access,” Ledford said. “But if you do not have broadband access, you’re up the creek without a paddle.”

In its response to the county, Verizon said no Frontier or Verizon locations in Cherokee County have had copper service discontinued so far.

Verizon previously sent notices to copper customers across North Carolina as part of its FCC filing. The company said those notices did not mean an individual customer's service was scheduled for termination.

Verizon said it will contact affected customers again before their specific lines are transitioned. Those notices will include dates, deadlines, instructions and contact information. The company does not expect to begin contacting customers about individual transitions until late 2026 or early 2027 and expects to transition customers in groups rather than all at once. Customers with access to Verizon fiber could be among the first groups contacted.

The county also asked how replacement services would address 911 access, power outages, alarm systems and medical monitoring equipment. Verizon said its replacement voice options provide access to 911 and that its fixed wireless phone equipment includes battery backup during power outages. The company also said its fixed wireless equipment is compatible with most monitored home security systems, fax machines and medical alert services.

Verizon said it will work with local governments and customers who have specialized needs as the transition moves forward. The company said customers without access to an approved replacement will continue to have access to their existing copper service until a replacement becomes available.

Cherokee County is also awaiting additional information from AT&T.

Chuck Greene with AT&T North Carolina is scheduled to attend the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners meeting Sept. 16 to provide an update on the company's retirement of copper lines.

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