Due to high call rates, COVID-19 and an initial lack of personal protective equipment, it has been a very challenging year for Raleigh County first responders. But these factors have not stopped them from meeting the needs of citizens.
John Zilinski, director of Raleigh County Emergency Services, told members of the Beckley Common Council during their December 22 meeting that it has been a very difficult and busy year for the county’s first responders. In his 2020 summary, Zilinski said that calls to the 911 center have totaled 168,000. Of those calls, 84,676 resulted in service calls. The Beckley Fire Department has responded to 2,738 calls for service, which averages about three calls a day.
“First responders for fire and EMS have been very stressed in Beckley this year,” Zilinski noted.
He also said that numbers are up for the city of Beckley Police Department.
“Total calls for the county including municipalities, sheriff’s department and state police that we dispatch for are 67,000. However, just the city of Beckley Police Department has responded to over 34,000 of those calls,” Zilinski said. “They are taking the brunt of those calls.”
In addition to having increased service call numbers, the Office of Emergency Services (OES) has been tending to the COVID-19 crisis by providing much needed supplies to agencies and personnel county-wide.
“Beginning in March, until now, we are all continuing to operate under a state of emergency due to COVID-19,” Zilinski said. “We purchased a lot of personal protective equipment, sanitizers, sanitization supplies and several other items for our Raleigh County first responders.”
According to Zilinski, it was hard to find personal protective equipment in the spring when COVID-19 was first beginning to become widespread. Fortunately, first responders have been able to keep supplies in stock as the months passed.
The OES was able to distribute personal protective equipment to various healthcare agencies including nursing homes and hospitals in Raleigh County, Zilinski explained. From March until now, 52,000 items have been distributed to various agencies, including 10,000 N-95 masks.
The OES has also worked with the Raleigh County Health Department to set up COVID-19 testing sites and provide traffic management at those sites. The Board of Public Works has helped with tent setup and traffic control as well.
“That is not going to stop,” Zilinski said. “We are going into a different phase now with giving out Covid vaccines.”
Zilinski stated that vaccinations should become readily available to the public in about a month.
Every week city officials have been in contact with Zilinski and he thanked them for giving his department the ability to worry only about first responder safety, and not finances.
“The numbers are staggering,” Beckley Mayor Rob Rappold responded. “It’s amazing the work that you and your staff do out there.”
“The weekly calls have been valuable,” Rappold continued. “They keep everyone up to date. It is really comforting to know that you have put this together and have given everybody the ability to update folks on Covid.”
In other council news, Rappold stated that the city of Beckley may see at least a 20 percent increase in tourism now that the New River Gorge National River has been designated as a national park.
“It’s a big deal and one we will greatly benefit from,” Rappold said.
Rappold also praised workers at the Board of Public Works for helping those with Beckley Pride build food boxes around the city. He thanked numerous other organizations including the local Rotary Club, food pantries and churches for helping to provide food and clothing for Beckley residents.
“It’s a blessing for our community,” he said.
Councilmember Janine Bullock praised the work of the Mountaineer Food Bank and the Beckley Food Lion after the distribution of food and gift cards to hundreds of people who attended the mobile food pantry at Linda K. Epling Stadium on Monday.
Additionally, Rappold noted that due to bad weather and the holidays, construction on New River Drive will be placed on pause until the week of January 4.
“That’s not the news any of us want to hear,” Rappold said. “Unfortunately, weather is a factor.”
Council accepted a bid of $24,900 for the purchase of an incinerator for the Beckley Police Department. According to the legal notice, the incinerator will be used for the “destruction/disposal of no longer needed evidence which can include but is not limited to drugs, drug paraphernalia, and bio-hazard items such as clothing, etc.”
Council also accepted a bid of $92,000 by Boyd CAT for the purchase of a compact track loader for the Board of Public Works.
Councilmember Cody Reedy stated that the Board of Public Works has been leasing a track loader just like this one and that employees have already been trained on how to use it.
The Beckley Common Council is currently streaming their meetings online via a WebEx Event. The public can join the meeting through their computer or phone using a link or phone number provided on the city’s webpage.
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