KINGWOOD, W.Va. — An effort to improve EMS response times within Preston County is prompting county commissioners to consider accepting offers from agencies outside of the county.
Less than two weeks after the Preston County Commission passed an ordinance that established a county EMS service fee to improve emergency medical services within the county, Commission President Hunter Thomas confirmed that work is ongoing to establish and new EMS provider agreement for services, regardless of location and size.
The new agreement would allow for agencies that are able to serve areas of the county where EMS response is lacking to be eligible to receive what is expected to be around $2 million in funds as a result of the fee.
“One thing we’re working through, separate from this ordinance that we have now passed, is something we’re calling the Preston County EMS Provider Agreement,” said Thomas. “An agreement between the county and any provider.”
According to Thomas, the provider agreement would be open for any EMS provider that could adequately offer service to a certain part of Preston County, regardless on if they are a non-profit, for-profit, or government agency. Any bid proposal that would be able to cover an underserved area would be subject to commission approval and would not affect the other five agencies that provide EMS service within the county.
“Essentially we’re going to allow anyone, any provider, whether they currently cover the area or not, whether they’re for-profit, non-profit, whatever it may be, to put in proposals based off of our requirements for that area,” said Thomas.
Thomas also emphasized that any EMS service provider that would be supported through the Preston County EMS service fee would be subject to an audit as part of the service fee fund allocation. This would also be applied to any agency that would receive an allocation of the millions of dollars in funds provided by county taxpayers.
“Once we determine who covers each area, we will require them to provide certain information that keeps everything transparent and accountable,” said Thomas. “And ultimately make sure that these dollars are used for what they’re intended to be used for.”
The planned establishment of a Preston County EMS provider agreement as well as the EMS service fee are both aimed to directly account for services that have declined since the closure of the Tunnelton EMS unit back in 2021. Thomas added that the commission is in the process of establishing Preston County Emergency Medical Services, where they intend to purchase two ambulances to help backup the agencies in the event of a busy day. All efforts aimed to help make Preston County residents safer.
“It’s been needed for years now,” said Thomas. “Right now we don’t have adequate services and that’s what this money is going towards to fix, exactly that.”