Where Salem EMS stands nearly one year after almost being permanently shut down

Yahoo

02-05-2025

SALEM, W.Va. (WBOY) — Nearly a year after Salem City Council voted to close Salem EMS, 12 News checked in with city and EMS officials on how they're still serving the community and where the department's finances stand.
In June 2024, 12 News spoke with Wesley Shuman mere hours after he received the news that he no longer had a job he loved. Now, nearly a year later, Shuman stands as the new director of Salem EMS, bubbling with ideas.
'It was a bit of a surprise to myself, I didn't plan on applying, but you know, seeing the opportunity arise and I've always had lots of great ideas if I ever became a director of anywhere, so I figured it'd be a perfect place to try,' Shuman said.
Since it reopened in late July 2024, the department has had interim directors who have helped the department get back on its feet.
'They've left me with a good standing, concrete plate, to start from now,' Shuman said.
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One of the reasons for the June 2024 shutdown was a number of communication breakdowns between the former city manager and the city council. Now, Salem Mayor Brandie Garner said communication between departments has improved.
'There's a lot more communication with the council, so we're able to make better decisions because we have all of the facts, whereas before we were kind of excluded from those sort of things,' Garner said.
Currently, Salem EMS is working limited hours and only providing Basic Life Support (BLS) while the Doddridge County Ambulance Authority and Harrison County EMS handle primary response during Salem's off-hours. Salem EMS typically covers around 2,500 households and a nursing home in Salem.
'Keeping overtime under control, cutting back our hours, just kind of making things a little bit smaller for a short amount of time and then growing. I think that was probably one of the problems is that it grew too fast, and it needs to be self-sustaining,' Garner said.
'I have moved some jobs around, I have had to let a couple of employees go, we're hiring a few more, we're changing things around both on what's best for the city and the citizens that we represent,' Salem City Manager Shawn Dahlheimer said.
'I've surrounded myself with people that have 39 years and 41 years, sit down and get advice from them. And then as my title, I include them on the interviews, on decision making. Then take it to council so that I feel I've done my homework so if I don't know something, I find people that are more trained in that area and then of course I rely on their resources,' Dahlheimer said.
Some ideas Shuman already has in mind to implement soon are creating a bigger connection with the community by hosting events and fundraisers for the department. He also wants to make the department stand out and become more well-known.
'New uniforms, update our documentation stuff, make it more noticeable,' Shuman said. Whenever we hand that out, like we're transferring patients, people you know are looking at this documentation like 'Oh you know, Salem EMS.''
Salem officials said thanks to these limited practices, guidance from experts in the field and new transport contracts, EMS is close to breaking even 11 months after it was financially underwater.
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