PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 11, 2023

 New Traffic Pattern Planned at WV 9 and Chestnut Hill Road/Charles Town Road in Jefferson County

BURLINGTON, WV – As part of the US 340 detour, changes to the traffic pattern are planned at the intersection of WV 9 and Chestnut Hill Road/Charles Town Road in Jefferson County beginning on Tuesday, September 12, 2023.  Traffic entering WV 9 from Chestnut Hill Road or Charles Town Road will be limited to right turns only during the US 340 detour to improve safety.

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JCESA Staffing Plan for EMS Standbys

8/15/2023

Jefferson County has a long-standing tradition where the Volunteer Fire Departments (VFDs) have provided EMS standby services for fairs, festivals, athletic events, etc. Since March 1, 2023, the ambulance portion of Jefferson County’s EMS services are now owned by the County of Jefferson and operated through the ESA. We recognize the need for the continuation of these services. The ESA will accomplish this primarily using non-staffed reserve ambulances (back-up units) along with continued partnerships with the VFDs who now maintain Rapid Response Licenses/Units.

We have developed a request form for these services. Once a request is received, we will evaluate the resource needs:

• Rapid Response Unit (RRU) Basic EMT service
• Ambulance

  - Dedicated or Non-dedicated

  - Basic (2 EMTs) or ALS (1 EMT/1 Paramedic)

  If the ESA determines that there are adequate resources to handle the request, then the Standby Agreement will be formalized conditionally approved. We will reach out to our RRU VFDs to determine their interest and availability. The remaining needs will be accomplished using ESA off-duty personnel. The personnel may be part-time or full-time which may incur overtime expenses. The ESA will also have expenses when using ESA Ambulances or ESA RRUs. For this reason, the Standby Agreement has service fees charged to the requesting person(s)/entity(s) These fees must be accepted prior to finalization of the contract approval.

  Only under very limited circumstances will a staffed Ambulance be deployed from its duty station to perform a standby.

  This would be:

• Non-dedicated: the unit would be able to respond immediately from the event.
• Must be within a limited distance of their duty station
• Short in duration: 2hrs or less
• Typically reserved for Middle School Football games in Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, and Shepherdstown but may include other events at the discretion of ESA Director or designee.

At no time will the ESA deploy ambulances or personnel for standby services where it may create a hardship on the system or a delayed response to the residents, businesses, or visitors of Jefferson County.

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Clarifying Information for Residents: Answer to Inquiries

On May 18, 2023 the Commission adopted a revised Ordinance dissolving the Jefferson County Emergency Services Board of Directors and moving the Jefferson County Emergency Services Agency (JCESA) under the direct supervision of the County Commission as a County department.
 
In addition to the direct statement in the new JCESA Ordinance thanking the ESA Board of Directors for their service Letters to the former Board of Directors will go out on Friday June 2, 2023 formally notifying them of the decision as well as thanking them for their exemplary service.

The new department will continue to be called the Jefferson County Emergency Services Agency (JCESA).  It will perform the same functions as the current ESA, but will be run directly by the Commission, under the supervision of the ESA Director, who will report to the County Administrator.

• The same ambulance units will respond to emergency calls, just with new wrapping identifying them as units of Jefferson County.
• Ambulance billing rates will remain the same, and our third-party billing contractor will also remain the same. The only change will be the return address on the envelope will be the JCESA instead of the individual fire companies.
• Our JCESA employees won’t see a change either – they will receive the same paycheck and the same benefits.

The transition process may take several more months, but once the process is complete, and all personnel, duties, and licenses are transferred to the County, the public corporation and its associated FEIN number will be dissolved and under the operation of the County's FEIN.

Official meeting minutes from the former JCESA governing Board of Directors are not available, since official meeting minutes must be approved by the Board.  However, as this is a matter of public interest, we are making an unofficial summary of the last two meetings available to be viewed in person at the County Commissions office by appointment and once transcribed published on the County’s website.

If anyone has questions or if anyone wishes to just express their concerns, please reach out to the Commission's office and the County Administrator.

Respectfully,

Makayla Zonfrilli

County Administrator

Jefferson County

JCESA Employment Application

JCESA is currently accepting applications.

(Click here to apply for any of the below openings)

Starting Pay:

Firefighter/EMT - $19.67/hr.

Firefighter/AEMT - $21.28/hr.

Firefighter/Paramedic - $25.00/hr.

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Jefferson County, WV is the eastern-most county of the panhandle of West Virginia. It includes approximately 210 square miles and an estimated population of 57,701 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The county has a total area of 212 square miles (550 km2), of which 210 square miles (540 km2) is land and 2 square miles (5.2 km2) (1.0%) is water. It is the only West Virginia county where the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah River that John Denver sang about in the song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" can be found. The lowest point in the state of West Virginia is located on the Potomac River (just east of Harpers Ferry) in Jefferson County, where it flows out of West Virginia and into Maryland.
	Mission Statement
The mission statement of the Jefferson County Emergency Services Agency (JCESA) saves lives and preserves property by partnering with the volunteer fire organizations to provide exceptional emergency medical services, fire suppression, and community engagement.
* JCESA - MAY 2023 * * Together In-Service *
The Jefferson County Emergency Services Agency is tasked with supplementing the volunteers and providing high-quality emergency services to the visitors and residents of the county. BREAST CANCER AWARENESS T-SHIRTS We have two different designs available. Long sleeve for $15.00 (while available), and short sleeve for $10.00 (regardless of size) Small to 5X - 100% Pre-shrunk cotton.  Proceeds will be donated to BCA-CV, a wonderful organization that provides support and meaningful assistance to those undergoing treatment here in our surrounding region. Stop by the JCESA office (Mon-Fri 8a-4p) Contact Debbie @ 304.728.3287 ext. 5206, or email dlancaster@jcesa.org  Payment: cash, or check made out to JCESA - due at time of purchase. **T-Shirts will be sold throughout the year until sold out** (Ask about our T-Shirts from past years - $10.00 each) Please help us make this the best year ever!!  _____________________________________________________________________________________ TO REQUEST DOCUMENTS RELATED TO AMBULANCE CALLS (billing, run sheets/transport records, patient care reports) Please direct all requests to: Medical Claims Assistance (MCA) 836 4th Ave., Huntington, WV 25701 Phone: 800.676.4785 - Fax: 304.522.4222 http://mcaemsbilling.com   Jefferson County Emergency Services Agency Notice of Privacy Practices