Moyock's volunteer fire department, unlike the others in Currituck, had requested becoming a county certified department. Many of Moyock's volunteer firefighters work in the Hampton Roads, Va., area during the day and are not available to respond to calls, officials have said.

They also have said that they believe a county-staffed station in the fast-growing area of Moyock agency could help provide better service.

Michael Carter, chief of Currituck County Fire/Emergency Medical Services, could not be reached for comment. But he has said before that under the current volunteer system, response times have been increasing at the same time the number of emergency calls has been rising.

In an e-mail, county spokesman Randall Edwards said Thursday that options are still being evaluated.

"The Fire/EMS Advisory Board is still addressing that matter and has not reached any conclusions at this time," Edwards said. "The county is exploring all of the options for that facility, including increasing the amount of volunteer recruitment and increasing professional staffing at that facility."