Tim Walker
AMR Reporter
The Hillsboro Rescue Squad discontinued its service May 10 because of lack of qualified EMS volunteers, which led to Hillsboro Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Dave Fowler appearing before the Pocahontas County Commission at its May 20 meeting.
Fowler noted that he was not there to ask for anything, but to offer to donate Hillsboro’s 2015 Chevrolet ambulance to the county for use by the paid Pocahontas County Ambulance Service. Commission President John Rebinski thanked him and accepted the offer.
Rebinski said that the county owns an ambulance that is serving in the northern end of the county, and expects delivery of a brand-new ambulance hopefully in August, which will be used in the southern end of the county, they absolutely need a third one as a spare since ambulances sometimes break down.
Fowler reminded everyone that while the Hillsboro Rescue Squad is no longer in operation, the Hillsboro Volunteer Fire Department remains actively serving the community.
The commission also discussed the Job Description for the position of Director of EMS Services, and voted to advertise the position on the West Virginia Office of EMS website; in The Pocahontas Times, and on Facebook. They proposed a deadline for applications to be received as being June 11. Rebinski said the county EMS Board has provided a job description that will include the duties of the position, which, in addition to administrative duties, will include responding to ambulance calls. He said that the announcement will not contain any salary, since the salary offered to the selected candidate will depend on their qualifications.
911 and Emergency Management Director Mike O’Brien also appeared before the commission and had three requests:
1. O’Brien explained that the current gauge used to measure the river rise at the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Marlinton is a counterweight gauge that has to be lowered from the bridge into the river to obtain a river level, and this is no longer acceptable, as an automatic, continuous gauge is needed. He had been putting this off because the U.S. Geological Survey gauge costs $25,000 to $30,000. However, he has found a water level gauge that operates by sending a radar wave down from the bridge to the water level and returns the water level readings. This I-Flood device only costs $5,000, and the Town of Marlinton has already approved paying half that cost if the commission pays the other $2,500. O’Brien says his Emergency Management budget will pay for the installation and maintenance of the device. The commission approved this.
2. The commission also approved O’Briens request to be allowed to advertise some surplus and outdated printers and radio equipment and other office equipment on Govdeals.com
3. O’Brien’s third request was to have the county commission revise the salary structure for all of his employees, to match the one Pendleton County is implementing. He said receiving adequate pay for the job they do and fairness are the issues. About 12 of O’Brien’s employees showed up to support his request. He said that he has 911 dispatchers that have worked there for 20 years and hold multiple certifications that make the same $13.50 an hour as new dispatchers, and because the commission’s yearly pay raises are the same for all county employees it doesn’t recognize merit, nor does it recognize that, unlike most county employees, his 13 employees are expected to work holidays, nights and during snowstorms. Kevin Stitzinger, the Deputy Director, pointed out that the commissioners just appointed a chief janitor at $40,000 per year, while Mike O’Brien, the 911/EMS Director, who has worked there for 10 years only makes $48,000 a year, and puts in about 300 hours of unpaid overtime per year since he is a salaried employee. He said neighboring counties start their 911 and Emergency Management Directors at $60,000 per year. O’Brien offered the Pendleton County 911 dispatcher pay scale as a solution to keep good dispatchers here.
That pay scale uses three telecom levels – depending upon your certifications, and merit steps within those. He said this rewards merit and longevity. The commission did not make any commitment other than to look further at it.
The commission appointed Margaret Worth to the Pocahontas Libraries and Visitor Information Centers Board to fill the unexpired term of Denise McNeel, which is set to expire on June 30, 2026.
In other matters, the commission approved a request of Donna Ward from Region 4 concerning Amendment # 3 for the PMH HVAC Replacement Project. That Amendment will extend the deadline for completion of the project to November 30, 2025, although she said they expect the project to be complete by September. She said the late arrival of materials caused the delay.
Casandra Lawson of Region 4 asked the commission to approve Amendment #3, which is a time extension for the Demolition Project at the former Board of Education building. She explained that this extension is for one year, which is the standard extension for this grant, however she expects the final invoices to be paid in June, and the grant fully closed out a couple of months after that.
