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HealthNet has been contracted to develop and manage the countywide system.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s been a long journey,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Thompson said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI would begin the journey in 2018 with the original levy (that did not pass), and I think the commission at that time obviously saw that this was a need for the county, and (itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s) been a long road from there to here.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Another levy was put on the May 2024 ballot and was passed by voters.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThank you to the Wayne County voters for enabling the commission and allowing us to put this service together and get it on the road,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Thompson said.

Burley, a lifelong Wayne Countian, said during the event, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI simply canÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t express how humbled we are to have the confidence of the Wayne County Commission and the Wayne County voters to build this operation and to manage it and put these ambulances in service to our neighbors on Sunday morning.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Burley shared that Wayne County EMS will be managed by Ground Team Leader Bob Adkins. Adkins is a Wayne County resident, was an EMS provider for more than 20 years in Wayne County with one of the volunteer fire departments and was described by Burley as someone who ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œknows firsthand the needs of this county.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

As of 8 a.m. Sunday, two of the Wayne County EMS ambulances will be running 24/7, 365 days a year, with the third serving as a backup. The new ambulances will take over from Jan-Care, operating out of the temporary EMS stations Jan-Care has been housed in ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” one in Genoa and one in Prichard ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” until the new permanent EMS stations the commission is working toward become available.

The Wayne County EMS ambulances will be Advanced Life Support ambulances, which can provide more paramedic capabilities based on an ambulanceÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s licensure and staff membersÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ qualifications, or Basic Life Support. They are replacing are one Advanced Life Support ambulance and one Basic Life Support ambulance from Jan-Care.

BJ Willis, director of Wayne County 911 and county emergency manager, said following the event that the Wayne County EMS ambulance based in the temporary station in Genoa will take over the Dunlow coverage area and will answer calls in the rest of the county when needed. The Wayne County EMS ambulance based in the temporary station in Prichard will not have a specific assigned service area but will also answer calls all over the county as needed, he said.

Adkins said there are 20 new employees ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” 11 EMTs and nine paramedics ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” working for Wayne County EMS so far.

He said about half of the those new employees are from inside Wayne County, while the other half are from outside of the county, including from Cabell County and Kentucky. He also said the employees have been training in Charleston this week leading up to serviceÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s beginning.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI think weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve got a good group of people, and I think weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ll provide really good care for the citizens of the county,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Adkins said.

Adkins said all of the slots are filled currently for Wayne County EMS, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œbut if somebody wants to apply, we will keep any (resumes) we receive on file ... for six months, and if we have openings to come about, we would contact people that are on the list.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Adkins said the goal is for Wayne County EMS to supplement the care given by the volunteer fire departments who provide EMS services to make sure all Wayne Countians have EMS available to them.

Thompson also said he hopes that Wayne County EMS ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œis as successful as we all think it will be;ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� allows the current EMS providers at the volunteer fire departments to provide more services specifically in their home areas that they are individually responsible for; and that everybody sees what a benefit the system is to the people of the county from both a resident standpoint and an economic development standpoint, for example, if businesses are looking at moving into the county and are looking at the countyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s infrastructure.

Wayne County has six EMS providers, counting Wayne County EMS and five volunteer fire departments providing EMS services in the county, Willis said.