The Salem Fire Department’s new mobile crisis response unit kept 12 patients out of the emergency room, instead taking them to get needed care in a more suitable location. 

That’s according to a presentation Salem Fire Department officials will give to Salem city councilors on Monday, March 9, updating them on the new REACH team’s first month of operations. 

The team is part of the city’s new Clean, Safe and Healthy Salem initiative pilot program launched earlier this year.

The REACH team, first deployed Jan. 20, was created to relieve fire department personnel from responding to nonemergency mental health calls, the majority of which involve the city’s homeless population.

Councilors will also hear from Travel Salem on estimated economic impacts of tourism in the region, and the latest crime trends from the Salem Police Department. 

REACH team update 

The numbers  

• As of February, the REACH team has responded to 49 calls, a staff report from Salem Fire Chief David Gerboth said. 
• The team transported 12 people to locations other than the emergency room and stabilized 10 patients without taking them anywhere. 
• The team made 45 referrals to community resources. 

Results 

• Out of the 49 people the team responded to, 17 or 34%, were repeat patients, showing a high service demand among a small group of residents, the report said. 
• Two in three calls handled by the REACH team involved the city’s homeless residents.
• The REACH team prevented 27 fire companies from dispatching, relieving 23 responding units, and freeing up crews to handle 14 higher priority calls including CPR, breathing emergencies and overdoses.

Tourism tax on short-term lodging 

• Salem city councilors will discuss the possibility of levying a new fee on residents who rent out their homes or spare bedrooms using websites like Airbnb and Vrbo.
• The fee would be a 2% increase to raise funds for tourism promotion on top of an existing 9% tax already levied on all those in Salem renting out housing options for less than 30 days. Most of the money from the fee would go to Travel Salem.
• Dozens of people who rent out their properties short-term submitted public testimony against the fee ahead of Monday night’s council meeting arguing it is unfair to treat them the same as commercial hotels.

Also before the council

Travel Salem update 

• Travel Salem’s annual report showed an estimated economic impact of about $793 million from tourism in Marion and Polk counties in 2024-25. That’s an increase of $12 million from the year prior, fueled by increases in hotel stays and local event bookings.
• Salem collected $5.3 million in hotel and motel occupancy taxes, up from $4.8 million the previous year.
• A look at visitor information showed the area earned a 9 out of 10 rating. 

Latest crime trends from Salem police 

• A newly published annual police report showed crime decreased in Salem by about 17% in 2025. 
• Violent crime in particular decreased by 20% with 194 fewer incidents, the largest drop in one year in over 15 years.
• Traffic fatalities also dropped in Salem from a record of 22 deaths in 2024 to 11 in 2025.

Climate action plan

• Councilors received a copy of the 2026 Salem Climate Action Plan work plan designed to continue the city’s work reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the city’s resiliency to climate change.
• Councilors also received an Annual Progress Report on the city’s climate action plan, which showed that 61% of the city’s climate strategies have progressed, while 9% are completed. 
• Ongoing priorities include the creation of an internal city Green Team, creating a workshop and seminar series, supporting a sustainable business network, and pursuing renewable energy sources for the city. 
• The Climate Action Plan, originally launched in 2020, has two primary goals: cutting in half citywide greenhouse gas emissions from 2016 levels by 2035; and for Salem to be carbon neutral by 2050.

Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected]. 

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