In Dinwiddie County, EMS was first provided by the Southside Virginia Emergency Crew in Petersburg. They provided EMS to several surrounding localities starting in 1945.
In 1969, the Dinwiddie Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Squad was started and operated from a location at the old Brickwood Golf Course. In 1974 they moved to a location along Boydton Plank Road (next to the current Southside Elementary School) and operated there until 2008.
In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s several of the county’s volunteer fire companies, led by the Namozine Volunteer Fire Department, began providing varying levels of EMS service. Namozine was the first fire department to have its own ambulance (Medic 4) and Ford, McKenney and Dinwddie all started first response programs.
In 1991, Dinwiddie County hired its first part time career EMS providers that staffed units at the Dinwiddie Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Squad. In 1994, those providers became full time and the Dinwiddie Public Safety-EMS Division was formed. Over the years these providers ran from a house on Edsel Lane, the bank building at Boydton Plank and Courthouse Road (currently Salem & Sons) and the old gas station where the Dinwiddie Dollar General is located now. In 2001 they moved into the newly opened Dinwiddie fire station.
In 2005, the EMS Division officially became what is now Dinwiddie County Fire & EMS. This organization would encompass all of the fire & EMS agencies in the county under a single umbrella. This agency today has more than 100 career and volunteer EMS personnel and has expanded to provide transport and first responder services at the advanced and basic life support levels from 4 of the county’s fire stations 24/7/365.