HAWLEY — In the wake of Adams Ambulance having its operating license suspended by the state Department of Public Health, Hawley has been left without a primary ambulance provider and will be covered by Shelburne Falls EMS through mutual aid.

This temporary transition comes after Adams Ambulance had its license suspended on Jan. 19. Hawley officials voiced concern about how the situation was handled during a special Selectboard meeting on Tuesday and sent a letter to the state Office of Emergency Medical Services chronicling their unease.

“Our rural, mostly elderly, community of 320-odd residents is now operating without a primary ambulance service and therefore relying entirely on various mutual aid partners,” the Selectboard’s letter reads. “This is a short-term, stop-gap solution that lacks long-term sustainability.”

In November, Adams Ambulance announced it would be shutting down at the end of 2023 due to a significant operating deficit. After that, employees rallied together and completely restructured the company in hopes of keeping the service going.

However, the Department of Public Health concluded that it has no confidence in Adams Ambulance’s ability to sustain proper service, and that its recent actions endanger public health. The move comes amid an investigation by the department into complaints from multiple municipalities that alleged Adams Ambulance was providing inadequate service.

According to the DPH, investigating the complaints led the department to find that Adams Ambulance failed to maintain proper 24/7 staffing, had no plans in place to remedy the issue, failed to meet state requirements with its initial notification of termination, inadequately answered questions posed by the state department and had internal confusion about its closure date.

“The health, safety and welfare of residents in the communities within the impacted ambulance service area is the priority of the Department of Public Health,” a DPH spokesperson wrote in a statement. “Ambulance services occupy a position of special public trust within their communities. The department is pursuing this action so that residents in the impacted area can remain confident that they are being provided access to reliable ambulance service in accordance with EMS system regulations.”

At Tuesday’s Selectboard meeting, Adams Ambulance co-managers David Norcross and Joshua Koch argued the DPH did not have updated information about the company and its operations. They also felt that state officials lacked familiarity with the operations of rural EMS companies, noting that Adams Ambulance has an on-call paramedic during hours that are common for rural agencies.

Norcross and Koch argued the accusations against Adams Ambulance were out of date, and many of the issues had been resolved through the staff restructuring. They plan to appeal the process and have hired a lawyer, but do not yet have a timeline for the appeal.

“We believe if we can get in touch with them and tell them about the restructuring, many of the issues they identified have already been rectified. We will have a very decent chance,” Norcross told the Hawley Selectboard. “Until then, we are not able to roll an ambulance.”

In its letter to the Office of Emergency Medical Services, the Selectboard wrote that “no one associated with the town of Hawley had any indication or warning” ahead of the Jan. 19 license suspension.

Adams, Cheshire and Savoy, the three other towns that use Adams Ambulance as their primary provider, switched service to Northern Berkshire EMS.

“We hope the department will take a collaborative approach with the towns and the ambulance service as efforts to resolve these issues are undertaken,” the letter states. “This approach will require a commitment to transparency, greater communication and a willingness to become fully informed of the facts.”

Reach Bella Levavi at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.