DAVIS – Tucker County Ambulance Authority Board selected Kathy Kahler to serve as president for another year Thursday during their regular meeting. Terry Gsell was selected as vice president, Mary Anne Tomson won the vote for secretary and Paula Faye Currance, treasurer.
Kathy Kahler is selected as president of the Tucker County Ambulance Authority Thursday at its regular meeting, held at the Canaan Valley Fire Department.
During the public comment section of the meeting, Tucker County Commission President Lowell Moore said he tries to represent all ends of Tucker County.
“I am speaking on my own behalf,” Moore said. “This may or may not be the opinions of the other two commissioners. These are my comments and mine only.”
Moore said it is a must that EMS service in Canaan Valley be restored.
“This is a funding issue,” Moore said. “The EMS, the fire departments and the 911 center are infrastructure in our county. It backs tourism, it serves for the operation of businesses and the growth of our county as well as county residents and anybody passing through or stops to visit.”
Moore said the number one problem the Tucker County EMS faces is funding. “I think it must be a long term, not a short term fix. The short term will get us nowhere. If we kick it down the road today, we will stumble over it tomorrow.”
Moore stated W.Va. State Code regarding ambulance service in the counties. “The duties of the County Commissions shall cause emergency ambulance service to be available to all residents of the county, where service is not otherwise provided.”
“That puts us in a bind,” Moore said. “Tucker County lost coal severance monies in the amount of $400,000 and $500,000 per year. That really puts the Commission in a bind.”
Moore said the EMS needs Station 2 in the Davis/Thomas area. “The county needs a station in the Thomas-Davis area. They closed because the expenses were high. It goes back to it being a funding issue. Without extra funding, they cannot operate a station until we get funding, so the station is irrelevant until we find the funding.
“A(n EMS) driver makes $8.65 an hour in Tucker County,” Moore said. “A paramedic makes $11.85 and an EMT makes $10.20. That saddens me. These are life- saving services. It is sad we cannot pay anything more for these life-saving services.”
Moore said the County Commission hired a private firm as a consultant to go over the EMS business. “Some of the findings they have complied with,” Moore said. “One of the things they got high points on was collecting their money and their finances. They (consultants) had no problems with the EMS finances.”
Moore said there are options for funding out there. “We just need to keep working to secure them,” Moore said.
“At the end of the summer, Corridor H is going to dump four lanes of traffic into Davis,” Moore said. “That traffic is going to go on a two lane road…and it is going to require additional EMS, fire department coverage and law enforcement. We are not prepared for that at the present time.
“If we work together and stay together, there is strength in unity,” Moore said. “We can and must find funding for the county as a whole.”
Also during Thursday’s meeting, Tucker County Ambulance Authority set April 23 from 1 to 5 p.m. as the date of their annual Board retreat.
New business items including development of an annual evaluation for all employees that is connected to performance, professionalism and a pay raise; a policy for medic intercepts transporting patient out of county to Morgantown; and insurance for volunteers were moved to the April meeting.
Ambulance Authority members met in executive session with their attorney, J.T. Hodges about a personnel matter. Upon return, they said no decisions had been made and the meeting was adjourned.
