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The Salem Fire Department has handed out job offers to a full corps of medics as it prepares to take over the city’s ambulance service from private provider Falck next July.
More than 340 people applied for the 52 jobs needed to run the system, said Deputy Fire Chief Kyle Amsberry at a Dec. 5 emergency medical system transition oversight committee at the Salem Civic Center. The agency also expects to have all of its new ambulances delivered and outfitted with equipment prior to the expiration of Falck’s contract.
Falck has provided ambulance service in Salem since 2015, but the Salem City Council voted earlier this year to bring the service in-house when Falck’s contract expires. The vote came after reports from the fire department showing Falck consistently failed to meet its contractually obligated staffing levels which resulted in slower response times.
Starting in February, new ambulance system recruits will begin attending training academies that will run through the spring before eventually beginning their field training, Amsberry said during the meeting.
“We should finish all of the candidates by the end of May or the first week of June,” Amsberry said.
Fire department officials said about 62 current Falck employees applied for new jobs with the city, and about 28 of those were offered a job.
Salem fire chief David Gerboth said all the offer letters are out and the agency is waiting to hear back from new employees.
“We had an exceptional response to our recruitment. We went through the interview process, we selected extremely high quality candidates that are going to serve this city well and are excited to be a part of the Salem Fire Department,” Gerboth said.
Gerboth said he believes the jobs were highly sought after because the fire department offers positions that involve training, mentorship and the opportunity for career advancement.
All emergency medical system employees will be paid for through the city’s emergency medical system fund, which is separate from the general fund that’s currently facing a major budget deficit. Officials also stressed the importance of growing an ambulance system that will generate revenue in order to ensure optimal service for the community.
“Cost neutrality is critically important here. That we do not impact the general fund,” Gerboth said.
One way to ensure a consistent stream of revenue for the city’s new system is to sign contracts with other entities in Salem for interfacility transfers, said Brian Carrara, the fire department’s assistant chief of business operations.
An interfacility transfer is when the fire department dispatches resources to bring a patient from one medical facility to another, Carrara said.
“One of the biggest hurdles that Falck has had is not having internal contracts with facilities. That guarantees a way to build a funding stream, and it guarantees a service to the hospital, and Keizer, and to the other smaller entities that we will contract with,” Carrara said.
Carrara said the agency has also signed a contract with a new billing company called EMS Management & Consultants after exploring its options. The company is a for profit company that specializes in medical billing and the city has negotiated the company will take 3.1% of all revenues generated from the system.
“It is not ideal to have a public agency to have a profit-driven company to do billing, but at the end of the day, we still have to have funds. We have to operate with the revenue we bring in, that is the only way to do it,” Carrara said. “Revenue is not a big factor, it is not the most important factor, but it is a factor. It is something we need to look at.”
Salem Mayor Chris Hoy said the fire department should not apologize for thinking about maximizing revenue as it hammers out the new ambulance system.
“I really wouldn’t downplay that revenue piece of this. I know it goes against our grain as public servants, but we are providing a billable service, and we have a duty to the taxpayers and the community as a whole to make sure we have a viable system, and that is how we are going to have a viable system,” Hoy said. “We have a duty to our community to make sure we are billing at an appropriate level and that we are collecting. It’s not like we are going to collect above what is owed, we are going to collect what is owed.”
Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected] or 503-335-7790.
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Joe Siess is a reporter for Salem Reporter. Joe joined Salem Reporter in 2024 and primarily covers city and county government but loves surprises. Joe previously reported for the Redmond Spokesman, the Bulletin in Bend, Klamath Falls Herald and News and the Malheur Enterprise. He was born in Independence, MO, where the Oregon Trail officially starts, and grew up in the Kansas City area.
