On a county level, death is not a subject that’s addressed too often. But for many of the county’s first responders, the protocol surrounding death — specifically unattended deaths, commonly referred to as DOAs — has been a subject of discussion lately.

Last week, Beaufort County’s public safety committee met to address whether county EMS squads can charge for the transport of a body, unattended in death, to the coroner’s office or funeral home, depending on whether further investigation is needed. For critically ill residents, the cost is often included in arrangements with funeral homes. However, for the majority of residents, an unattended death in the county requires the services of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and EMS. But until now, there has been no stated policy as to who gets charged for the transport, if at all.

“It’s one of those services that people don’t think about that need to be performed,” said John Pack, Beaufort County Emergency Services coordinator.

During Thursday’s meeting, the decision was made to authorize EMS squads to bill the estate of the deceased, but each squad billing must have a policy in writing in place, as well as an established rate at which they will charge for transport. What EMS squads cannot do is charge the county for the service, Pack said.

Many of the squads do not charge for transport of the deceased, but as the Beaufort County population is aging, the number of unattended deaths has risen as well. Pack said when he first came on as emergency management coordinator, 30 DOAs a year was a lot. Last year, 106 DOA transports were made and so far this year, Beaufort County is on a course for even more, around 120, Pack said.

On average, that’s one transport every three days in the county. For each transport, an EMS truck and its crew are taken out of service, leaving gaps in coverage in the county.

“Some of the squads have only one truck and need someone else to cover the response area. It has to be coordinated through 911,” Pack said. “If Pamlico Beach is transporting a DOA, then Community (EMS) needs to cover that area for the hour and half they’re doing the transport.”

The decision to address the issue at the county level came because one EMS agency recently invoiced the county for transport services.

“The one good thing is that it brought to the forefront,” Pack said.

Pack will take the issue to Beaufort County Commissioners at the next meeting to discuss whether the county needs to establish an official policy.