Emergency response to the "Tail of the Dragon" settled

By Jon Ostendorff, Asheville Citizen-TimesLeaders in Swain and Graham counties ended a monthslong dispute over providing rescue services to one of the nation's most popular motorcycling roads with an agreement aimed at covering public costs.Graham County rescue will have primary responsibility for N.C. 28 from the bridge north of Fontana Village to the bridge on U.S. 129 at Tapoco and to the Tennessee line.The area includes part of the famous "Tail of the Dragon," which attracts bikers from around the world. It is in Swain County but closer to the EMS base in Graham County.Swain County rescue will have primary responsibility for the Tsali Recreational Area off N.C. 28. The area has a series of trails popular with mountain bikers and horseback riders. It is in Graham County but closer to the emergency medical services base in Swain County.Graham County leaders had said they would stop sending ambulances to N.C. 28 and U.S. 129 this year after Swain County leaders refused to cover the cost.Swain had been giving Graham $21,000 a year to pick up garbage in the area but wasn't contributing to emergency services and law enforcement. Graham leaders said last year the public safety calls cost about $100,000 a year.The old agreement had been in place for about 15 years, when calls were fewer. Graham County now gets about 30 calls a year to the 10 miles of the highway in its neighbor's jurisdiction.Swain County in the new agreement will pay Graham County $250 each time one of its crews is dispatched to the Deals Gap area to cover the cost of manning its EMS base while its crews are out of the county.Also, Swain will pay for any amount Graham isn't able to collect from patients and take over once the patients are transported to the hospital. The same will go for Swain County when it responds to calls in Graham County.Graham County Commissioner Steve Odom said Friday the agreement is fair. "We've gone from losing money to at the very least breaking even," he said. "While I agree it makes sense for us to provide EMS services to Deals Gap and with being a good neighbor by assisting Swain County, our board just had to make sure Graham County was not losing money in the process."At least five people died last year on U.S. 129 in Tennessee. The Tail of the Dragon offers 318 curves along an 11-mile stretch./>