Hampshire County Emergency Services Agency

05/08/2026

Always a pleasure participating in the Prom Promise drill alongside our neighboring companies. Wishing HHS students a safe, fun, and memorable prom night!

05/04/2026

🚨 Blood Drive – Seats Are Filling! 🚨

Join us for the Hampshire County ESA Blood Drive and help save lives in our community ❤️

📅 July 10, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
📍 55 Sunrise Blvd, Romney, WV

Every donation makes a difference. 🩸
Donate blood. Save lives. Be a hero in someone’s story.

⚠️ Seats are filling fast—don’t wait!
👉 Schedule your appointment today: RedCrossBlood.org

04/18/2026

🚑 Ambulance Fee, Transport Billing, and Staffing Transparency 🚑

We are committed to providing clear, professional transparency regarding how EMS services are funded and how recent staffing adjustments may affect operations.

Ambulance Fee vs. Transport Billing

The county ambulance fee is allocated exclusively to personnel salaries and salary related expenses. This funding supports continuous EMS coverage, ensuring that a minimum of two ambulances are staffed and available within the county 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round.

HCESA maintains at least Basic Life Support (BLS) staffing in Capon Bridge and Romney as well as an Advanced Life Support (ALS) chase car in Romney. The long-term operational goal is to sustain three fully staffed units 24/7, 365 days a year, with the third unit based in Springfield.

When EMS services are utilized, a separate bill is generated and submitted to your insurance provider. Any remaining balance is the patient’s responsibility. This billing covers:

• Level of care provided (ALS vs. BLS)
• Transportation
• Medical supplies used during treatment

Transport billing revenue is maintained in a separate account and supports operational costs, including:
• Fuel
• Medical and station supplies
• Equipment
• Vehicle maintenance and replacement

All EMS agencies in the region, including volunteer agencies, bill for these services.

Staffing and Funding

Staffing is directly funded by ambulance fee revenue. When fees are unpaid or under-collected, it creates a budget shortfall that impacts our ability to sustain planned staffing levels (three units 24/7, 365). In these situations, adjustments may be required later in the fiscal year to remain fiscally responsible.

Due to reduced fee reimbursement and unforeseen staffing challenges, we have implemented limited staffing reductions on select days each week. These decisions are made carefully in coordination with our volunteer partners to maintain the highest level of service possible.

Coverage Adjustments

• Staffing reductions are focused on the Springfield station based on call volume data.

• Coverage is coordinated daily with volunteer departments to ensure service needs are met.

• If Augusta or Romney volunteer units are unavailable, our Romney crew remains in Romney to cover higher call volume areas.

• If both Augusta and Romney are staffed, our Romney unit may relocate to Springfield during periods of volunteer coverage.

• Regardless of staffing level, units may relocate throughout the county as needed to maintain coverage when other units are committed to calls.

Call Volume Data (Hampshire County 911)

• 2021 Total Alerts: HCESA: 3,121 | Augusta: 1,204 | Romney: 1,143 | Springfield: 516

• 2022 Total Alerts: HCESA: 3,207 | Augusta: 1,248 | Romney: 1,184 | Springfield: 429

• 2024 Total Alerts: HCESA: 3,219 | Augusta: 1,162 | Romney: 1,163

Operational History
From February 27, 2025 through July 3, 2025, operations were maintained with two 24-hour crews, utilizing dynamic unit movement with volunteer agencies to maximize coverage. This means that our Romney crew would relocate to Springfield when Augusta and Romney Volunteer departments had crews available. This is the same staffing model we are currently using, 3 days per week.

From July 3, 2025 through March 2026, we were able to operate three ambulances 24/7, one in Capon Bridge, one in Romney, and one in Springfield. We have cut back 3 days per week to remain fiscally responsible. We plan to add these days back in as the fee reimbursement allows.

We remain dedicated to delivering reliable emergency medical services while responsibly managing public funds. We value our strong partnership with volunteer departments and will continue working collaboratively to serve Hampshire County.

04/14/2026

This week is National Dispatchers Week. The voices behind the phone on your worst day. Orchestrating what units are needed, keeping patients calm on the line, and being Law, Fire and EMS’s lifeline behind the radio to make sure we have what we need. HCESA is appreciative of our dispatchers and everything they do for us! Hampshire County 911 Center

04/14/2026

REMINDER! Protocol Class for 2026 Protocol
rollout! Classes remaining are

April 15th 0900-1300 HCESA Central Station
April 26th 0900-1300 HCESA Central Station

Remember you must have this class to continue to practice as a clinician in WV after May 1st.

04/13/2026

🚑 Why do EMS units respond with lights and sirens and sometimes stop? Also, why do multiple units respond to the same call?

We understand that seeing several emergency vehicles respond or watching one suddenly stop, turn around, or change direction can be confusing. We want to help explain how and why this happens, and how it allows us to better serve our community.

Our agency was created to supplement our volunteer departments and that’s exactly what we do. We have our own first due areas where there are no volunteer EMS services, but we also cover the entire county. When a call for service comes out in an area covered by a volunteer department, both the volunteer agency and our county EMS units are dual alerted. This ensures that a unit is always en route, even if a volunteer crew is not immediately available at that moment for any reason.

If the volunteer department does have a crew available, they will respond as primary. In those cases, our unit may be placed back in service and return to our station. However, we remain available to that volunteer crew if:

• The volunteer crew requests additional assistance

• The call is critical in nature

• The situation has the potential to worsen

• Extra personnel would benefit patient care

You may also notice multiple EMS units responding from different directions. This often can be due to multiple calls going on at once or may depend on the level of care needed. Some units provide Basic Life Support (BLS), while others provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) with paramedics capable of more advanced interventions.
For example, if a call is dispatched as needing ALS-level care and the closest ALS provider (such as a chase car) is already committed to another call, an ambulance with a paramedic may respond from another part of the county — even if a closer BLS unit is also responding. This ensures the patient receives the highest level of care as quickly as possible based on the information available.

There are also times when units may change their response while en route. This may include:

• Being placed back in service due to a canceled call or updated information

• A caller deciding they no longer need assistance

• Another unit arriving and determining additional resources are not necessary

In addition, units may change direction or “turn around” while responding. This can happen when:

• A higher priority call comes out in another area and the first call is being handled

• A volunteer unit becomes available and takes over the original call

• Our unit is reassigned to ensure the best coverage across the county

This flexibility allows us to keep resources positioned where they are needed most. Even when we go back in service, it helps ensure that we are available immediately if another call comes out nearby, improving response times for the next emergency.

Similarly, an ALS chase vehicle may start responding but be placed back in service if:

• An ALS provider is already on the responding ambulance

• The first arriving BLS crew determines ALS care is not required

EMS response is dynamic and constantly adapting. Every call is different, and our system is designed to:
• Get help started as quickly as possible
• Provide the appropriate level of care
• Maintain coverage across the entire county

Every movement you see lights and sirens, multiple units, or units stopping and redirecting, it is part of a coordinated effort between paid staff, volunteers, and dispatchers to deliver efficient, timely, and high-quality emergency medical care.

We are honored to work in partnership with our volunteer departments and remain dedicated to supporting them while serving our community. When they need assistance, we respond without hesitation—and when we need help, or they are closer to a call, they are there for us as well. EMS in Hampshire County is truly a team effort, and it takes all of us working together to meet the needs of our citizens.

04/12/2026

The Cost of Living — What This Really Means for Our Community

This post addresses multiple questions that have been raised about the ambulance fee increase last year.
The facts are straightforward, and they matter.

$0.47 per day.
That is what the increase amounts to when $175 is divided across 365 days—$0.47 per household per day in Hampshire County.

That $0.47 is not arbitrary.
It is the cost of ensuring that when someone calls 911 on the worst day of their life, help is available.

Many people assume they will never need an ambulance. The reality is different. Our community requires EMS services thousands of times every year. When that moment comes, access to care is not optional—it is critical.

What This Conversation Is — and Is Not
This is not a debate about volunteer versus paid services.

Many HCESA employees have served—and continue to serve—as volunteers within the county as well as surrounding counties. HCESA fully supports the volunteer system. However, the reality is simple:
There are not enough providers—paid or volunteer—to meet the growing demand alone.

This conversation is about one thing:
the life safety of our citizens.

How We Got Here
• 2012: The Hampshire County Commission funded 12 hours of advanced life support (ALS) coverage through a contracted paramedic.
• 2017: A $100 ambulance fee was introduced to support:
◦ One 24-hour basic life support (BLS) ambulance
◦ 12 hours of ALS support for volunteer crews
• 2020: A second BLS ambulance was added for the Capon Bridge area.
• 2023: HCESA took over full-time ALS coverage, eliminating contracted services and saving the county money overall—but increasing HCESA’s operational responsibility.
• Late 2023: A third unit was added in the Springfield area, eventually expanding to 24-hour coverage due to demand.

The Reality Today
The original $100 fee was designed to sustain:
• 1 ambulance (24 hours)
• 12 hours of ALS coverage
Today, HCESA provides:
• 3 ambulances operating 24/7
• 24-hour ALS chase car coverage

This is nearly triple the original service level the fee was designed to support.

Despite this growth, the fee has remained largely unchanged. To maintain operations, HCESA has relied heavily on non-fee revenue, including insurance reimbursements and other funding sources.

Why the Increase Was Necessary
The need for a fee increase was not new—it has been anticipated for years due to:
• Rising call volume
• Expanded service coverage
• Increased operational cost
• Decreasing volunteerism

Recent budget strain was not the cause of the increase—but it highlights the urgency.

This year alone,HCESA faced:
• Staff resignations due to pay, stress, and career changes
• Extended employee absences
• The loss of all three management positions

Despite this, ambulances still had to be staffed.

Some full-time providers have worked extensive overtime, often at significant personal cost, to ensure continuous coverage. Some part-time providers are maxing out on the overall number of hours they are allowed to work within a year.
These were not optional efforts—they were necessary to keep services operational.
Our providers are dedicated to serving the citizens of Hampshire County!
Temporary cost-saving measures have been implemented as directed, but they have already resulted in reduced service capacity.

The Bigger Picture
• Call volumes are increasing
• Available providers are decreasing
• Mutual aid from neighboring counties is being used more frequently
• EMS systems across the state and nation are facing the same crisis

This is not a local issue—it is a national one.

Emergency Medical Services are increasingly being recognized as critical infrastructure, yet the workforce continues to decline.

A Critical Clarification on Revenue
It is important to clearly address concerns about a “budget shortfall.”

HCESA is operating within its approved budget.

The issue is not overspending—it is revenue not meeting projections.
A significant factor in this is nonpayment of the ambulance fee.
If all households paid the fee as assessed, much of the conversation around revenue gaps would be greatly reduced or avoided altogether.

Simply put:
The system only works as intended when participation is consistent.

The Bottom Line
An ambulance does not guarantee survival.
But without one, survival may not even be possible.
For those who have needed EMS—or for those who will—
$0.47 a day is not an unreasonable cost for access to lifesaving care.

This is not about preference.
This is about preparedness.
This is about whether help is there when it is needed most.

We would also like to add that the EMS Fee is completely separate and unrelated to the current fire levy being ran. Our volunteer fire companies rely on the levy for operations.

04/10/2026

We were privileged to provide EMS standby this evening during Governor Patrick Morrisey’s visit to Capon Bridge in support of the School Street renovation project.

It’s always encouraging to see the hard work of our small, tight-knit community recognized at the state level. We appreciate the continued support from our legislators.

Pictured from left to right are EMT Rachel Kenney, EMVO Jenifer Smith, Governor Patrick Morrisey, Paramedic Devin Nimmo, Interim Director/Paramedic Cole Roomsburg

04/03/2026

2026 WV Protocol update courses

Non-employee sign up link:

April 10th: https://sch.iops360.com/publicCalendar.asp?sys=E0304BBFFCE14B7E8EC0FEC262CE7BFE&Action=ViewEvent&id=62811

April 15th: https://sch.iops360.com/publicCalendar.asp?sys=E0304BBFFCE14B7E8EC0FEC262CE7BFE&Action=ViewEvent&id=65418

April 26th: https://sch.iops360.com/publicCalendar.asp?sys=E0304BBFFCE14B7E8EC0FEC262CE7BFE&Action=ViewEvent&id=62813

04/02/2026