| Calhoun EMS Director Josh Johnson has resigned from the ambulance agency effective Jan. 25. His resignation was submitted to the EMS board on Dec. 26, 2012.
Johnson has held the job since 2003.
Johnson said he was resigning to fulfill a long standing personal and professional goal.
"This decision was not easy and comes after much personal reflection and consideration related to new opportunities and changing family circumstances," Johnson said.
Johnson offered to remain as a paramedic for Calhoun EMS.
"I appreciate and am thankful for the opportunity provided to me...for the past nine years and hope to preserve the professional relationships I have established," Johnson concluded.
Johnson recently proposed EMS by-law changes which would essentially have removed the local service from oversight by the Calhoun Commission, which funnels county taxpayer money to the service, with taxpayers having ownership of much of their property and pays insurance on their vehicles.
Those changes have yet to be made by the EMS board.
Calhoun EMS has been struggling with downed ambulances since early December, and in recent weeks has borrowed ambulances from Annmore, Ritchie County, Kanawha County, and was also loaned an ambulance from Minnie Hamilton Health System.
The system, at times, has been down to one operational ambulance, and until recently did not have an operational 4x4 ambulance.
Having a critical problem with operating money, downed ambulances and overdue bills, Johnson gave EMS employees about $5,000 in Christmas bonuses.
Calhoun Commission president Kevin Helmick resigned from the board upon advice that his concerns about EMS problems presented a conflict of interest.
Another board member, Bob Groves, also resigned, reportedly related to management issues.
The agency has been in conflict with the Calhoun Commission for the last two years, disallowing the commission's involvement with oversight related to EMS's finances.
Johnson, after telling commissioners in 2010 that he would provide them with financial reports, failed to do so.
Calhoun EMS is currently undergoing a state agency audit by the WV EMS Technical Support Network regarding performance levels. That audit will be completed by late January.
The Calhoun Commission has expressed concerns about the ambulance services ability to continue to provide service, while not being critical of medic and EMT personnel
Minnie Hamilton Health System has issued a proposal to maintain the service to the county, including maintaining a second station in southern Calhoun.
See related story CO. COMMISSION DEALING WITH AMBULANCE ISSUES - Calhoun EMS Denies Financial Problems Saying "It's Just Politics"
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