Salem residents are spending far less time waiting for an ambulance since the city took over the service from private contractor Falck Northwest, according to a one-year performance report headed to City Council on Monday, Aug. 10.
The daily window when no ambulance was available for emergency calls dropped from 391 minutes to about 24 minutes, Fire Chief David Gerboth's report shows. That's over six hours per day erased from the gap.
Gerboth's staff report, first reported by the Statesman Journal, details broad improvements across staffing, mutual aid and finances since the city resumed running its own ambulances.
The council voted unanimously in March 2024 to end the Falck Northwest contract, citing slow response times and the company's failure to meet contractual obligations.
More crews, fewer calls for outside help
Weekly staffing rose from 1,030 unit-hours under the Falck contract to 1,168 unit-hours under city operation. Gerboth wrote in the report that "unit-hour staffing is stable and consistent, exceeding previous contracted unit-hour requirements."
The city's reliance on mutual aid from neighboring agencies fell from more than 500 incidents per month to an average of 27. Transport volume is tracking projections: city leaders anticipated 54 transports per day, and the current average is 55.
Finances on track
Through June, the ambulance service generated $51.1 million in gross charges. The report states that revenue collection and expenditures remain generally consistent with expectations for a service whose patients are predominantly on public insurance. Medicare patients account for 54% of transports, Medicaid about 24% and private insurance about 11%.
The report does not include the service's total annual operating cost, making a direct comparison to the former Falck contract difficult.
What comes next
Gerboth outlined priorities for the coming years: alternative response models, reduced reliance on overtime, career advancement pathways for staff and more efficient scheduling.
The council will hear the report Monday, Aug. 10, at 6 p.m. in Loucks Auditorium at the Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty St. SE, where meetings are being held while City Hall undergoes seismic retrofitting. Residents can attend in person to hear the full presentation.
