Belpre Township Trustees President Curt Welch II, left, spoke during Monday’s trustees meeting as Trustee Dan Mason listened at the township building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

LITTLE HOCKING — Little Hocking volunteer firefighters will work with Belpre Township trustees to hammer out the details of its future as a paid, public fire department.

As a result of the transition, the department will no longer be providing ambulance service in Wood County.

Midnight this morning had been the deadline Little Hocking firefighters set to have their concerns about remaining a public entity answered after more than a year of working toward becoming a private operation. There seemed to be agreement on many issues, but some uncertainty remained during a meeting last week as firefighters asked about being reimbursed for the more than $68,000 they’d spent on legal feels to develop the private option.

During a meeting at the township building Monday, Trustees President Curt Welch II said details were still being discussed with the Washington County Prosecutor’s Office, the township’s legal counsel, but the best approach seemed to be an annual payment for five years to Little Hocking Fire and Rescue Inc.

“It’s more of a signing bonus so that they will continue coverage for the township,” Welch said after the meeting.

Little Hocking Volunteer Fire Lt. Christopher Rettenberger, right, asked a question during Monday’s Belpre Township Trustees meeting as Capt. Josh Chevalier listened at the township building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

The amount is still to be determined.

Little Hocking Fire Capt. Josh Chevalier said he’s optimistic about the path forward. He and Lt. Christopher Rettenberger plan to meet with Welch over the next month or two to work on the framework under which the department will operate going forward before the documents are reviewed in public meetings with all three trustees.

In 2021, voters in Belpre and Decatur townships approved a 2.6-mill levy to fund paid medical service personnel in an effort to address a lack of coverage during daytime hours. Privatization was pursued due to concerns about the expense of providing insurance coverage for part-time workers and other issues.

After a change in state law, Welch and Trustee Asa Boring advocated keeping the department a public entity. Speaking on behalf of the firefighters at a Nov. 7 meeting, Rettenberger said they could support that but had a number of questions they wanted answered and conditions met.

On Monday, Welch, Boring and Trustee Dan Mason voted unanimously to move forward with the five-year payment option, contingent on wording developed by counsel.

Belpre Township Trustees President Curt Welch II appeared before the Wood County Commission on Monday to inform them the Little Hocking Emergency Medical Services will no longer be handling calls in Wood County. The EMS service is moving to a paid system and will no longer be able to do calls on the West Virginia side of the Ohio River. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

As a paid entity, the department will be hiring core employees to cover the daytime shifts, while other firefighters will work part-time or remain as volunteers to cover when those workers are off or additional runs need to be made, Rettenberger said.

To transition from a volunteer to a paid firefighter requires an additional 130 hours of training, Chevalier said. Some firefighters are still trying to determine whether they want to pursue that.

“We really want to see a commitment from them (the trustees) to implement that (framework) before we commit to 130 hours,” Rettenberger said.

Once the framework is in place, training can begin, as well as the hiring process, Chevalier said.

EMTs will be paid a rate of $16 to $18 an hour, Welch said. Pay for firefighters is still being determined, he said.

The move to paid service means the end of Little Hocking providing ambulance service in Wood County, except in cases of mass casualty events. Earlier Monday, Welch appeared before the Wood County Commission to discuss the change.

“Once this paid service is in place … our guys cannot travel outside of Belpre Township or Decatur Township,” he said.

Welch submitted a letter to the commission, informing county officials that as of Jan. 1, 2023, Little Hocking EMS Services will no longer be available to transport or service patients in Wood County. For a while, the volunteer service has been covering a lot of calls on the West Virginia side of the river when other ambulance services are unable to respond, Welch said.

Wood County Sheriff Rick Woodyard said Little Hocking first responders have helped out in a number of situations.

Welch said 25% to 30% of the total runs for their two ambulances were made in Wood County.

“Our squads have almost been to Wirt County before,” he said.

One of the biggest issue they have faced is getting patients into the hospital. Emergency responders in Wood County have also talked about crews waiting a long time to get patients admitted as well as people calling the squad for less serious injuries thinking they will get into the hospital faster.

Welch said Little Hocking EMTs have waited anywhere from 45 minutes to three hours at hospitals, adding it is not uncommon to wait two hours.

Woodyard said it is difficult finding available bed space for patients.

The change only affects ambulance service. All mutual aid agreements between the fire departments and others will remain in place.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com.