Catawba County News
Catawba County 101
Published: November 02, 2026
MAKING. LIVING. BETTER: Emergency Services
Briefly describe the area you are spotlighting.
Catawba County Emergency Services houses 6 different divisions and around 250 employees. Our department is responsible for planning and responding to all hazards in the county, whether that be natural, manmade, or medical emergencies. We also manage emergency communications through our 911 Communications Center, operate the animal shelter, provide Animal Control in all unincorporated areas of the county, and assist veterans and their families in obtaining benefits and services.
How do you achieve your mission – what services are offered?
The 911 Communications Center dispatches for over 35 agencies and departments in the county including the Sheriff’s Office, 5 police departments, EMS, fire and rescue.
The Animal Shelter works to care for and re-home adoptable pets in our community. Animal Control works to promote responsible pet ownership and protect the public from dangerous animals. They strive to treat animals and people fairly and compassionately.
Emergency Management works to build, sustain, and improve the community’s capacity to prepare, respond, and recover from hazards. This division develops plans for large scale emergencies, provides community education for disaster preparedness, conducts training, and supports responses to emergencies.
Emergency Medical Services responds to all 911 calls where an illness or injury is reported. EMS provides a full array of pre-hospital medical care including basic life support, advanced life support, as well as specialty care transport. Our mission is to ensure that everyone in our community receives the highest quality of pre-hospital care available.
The Fire and Rescue division serves 14 fire departments and 4 rescue squads in our county. Their core service areas are building plans review, fire inspections, fire investigation, and fire education. The Fire and Rescue staff support disaster operations, coordinate the hazardous material response team and test and certify fire equipment.
Veteran Services assist veterans and their departments in filing claims with the Veterans Administration for benefits and service. This division helps connect veterans with services they earned while protecting our country.
Who does this department/service area/program serve?
Our department serves the entire population. Services provided by the Emergency Services department not only come when a disaster strikes but before. Our department works to ensure that the county can function in disasters which takes a lot of preplanning not often seen by the community.
How and where are services delivered?
Many of our services are delivered during and after a 911 call such as in an emergency. We do, however, serve citizens in our building with things such as Veterans Services and animal adoptions. Our Fire and Rescue division is often out in the public completing inspections and working with businesses to ensure safety. Our educational programs are often delivered to businesses, churches, and schools.
How many staff members are involved in delivering services?
Around 250
How does our community and/or organization benefit from these services?
At the heart of Emergency Services is working to keep our community safe by delivering education to prevent emergencies, equipping citizens with information to prepare and respond to emergencies, and responding when a citizen needs help. Our Emergency Management division teaches disaster preparedness so when an ice storm makes driving unsafe, people are prepared to shelter in their homes for several days. Animal Services connects adoptable animals with loving homes. 911 Communications Center not only answers emergency calls and sends the appropriate resources, they talk the caller through how they can help or what they can do to remain safe. The Fire and Rescue division works within the community to ensure public places are safe for people to be in. We have many veterans within our county. The Veterans Service Offices sit with these veterans to learn about what they need to direct them to the appropriate resource.
Please share anything unique or interesting about this program you would want people to know.
The way Emergency Services delivers our services is different in all situations. In the background, this entire division works to mitigate disasters and plans to respond to them at a moments notice
DID YOU KNOW?
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Last FY Emergency Management conducted 29 public education presentations throughout the community.
CATAWBA COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL’S OFFICE | 2025 YEAR IN REVIEW
Protecting lives, property, and our community through fire prevention, investigation, and education!
Throughout 2025, the Catawba County Fire Marshal’s Office (FMO) continued its commitment to keeping our citizens, businesses, and visitors safe.
291 fires investigated
2,053 business inspections completed
900+ hours of team training
A TEAM DEDICATED TO SERVICE
Our office consists of one Fire Marshal and three Assistant Fire Marshals. Each team member holds an Associate Degree or higher in Fire Protection, Level III Fire Inspector certification, and North Carolina Certified Fire Investigator (NC CFI) credentials.
Through continued education and professional development, our team stays prepared to meet the demands of fire investigation, fire prevention, and code enforcement.
MORE THAN NUMBERS
Behind every investigation, inspection, and training hour is a commitment to reducing fire risks, identifying potential hazards, determining the origin and cause of fires, and helping our communities become safer. We also work alongside property owners, businesses, contractors, and fellow emergency services professionals to promote fire safety and prevent future incidents.
We are proud of our team’s accomplishments in 2025 and grateful for the partnerships that help make our work possible. We remain dedicated to protecting lives and property throughout Catawba County through professionalism, prevention, and service.
ANIMAL SHELTER IN REVIEW (January 1 - present)
Animals entering care: 2,175
Adopted out: 459
Went to rescue,: 858
Returned to owner: 293
EMS YEAR IN REVIEW 2025
Total Call Volume: 35,064
Emergency Call Volume (lights and sirens): 19,169
Average Response Time: 8 minutes/8 seconds
National Response Time (suburban areas): 10-12 minutes
Busiest Month: December
Busiest Day: Friday
Busies Hour of Day: 2pm