MORGANTOWN — The Monongalia County Commission approved up to $14,500 for the Star City Volunteer Fire Department EMS during its regular Wednesday meeting.
As previously reported, the funds will be used to outfit four ambulances with Zuercher GPS hardware and software.
The upgrades are the same implemented in vehicles operated by the newly constituted Mon EMS — the result of the merger between Mon EMS and WVU Hospitals Health Team Critical Care Transport that was announced in November.
The equipment will allow MECCA 911 to dispatch ambulances based solely on proximity to the caller, not on a priority dispatch list as was the longstanding practice in the county.
Commission President Tom Bloom said the Mon EMS merger is expected to be completed by March 1.
“This is exceptional,” Bloom said. “This was a commitment that we made and we’re following through on that. It’s one of the things that I’m real proud of from this commission.”
In other news:
— The commission approved a letter of support for Arts Monongahela’s application to the West Virginia Arts Commission’s Community Arts Project Support Organizational Development Grant.
— Bloom said that 20 different pedestrian walkway sites were identified during a recent meeting of the pedestrian safety initiative formed by WVU.
He explained that the group intends to address some initial immediate responses at these locations, ranging from flashing warning lights to fresh paint on road markings.
The initiative was formed in the wake of two pedestrian-versus-vehicle incidents last February that resulted in the death of one WVU student and left another badly injured.
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