TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Krishna Namburi, City Manager
FROM: David Gerboth, Fire Chief
SUBJECT:
title
Salem Fire Department: One-Month REACH Update.
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
Result Area(s): Safe and Healthy Community.
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SUMMARY:
summary
On October 13, 2025, the City Council approved the Safe, Clean and Healthy Salem initiative, a community-led, City-supported strategy focused on improving safety, livability, and cleanliness in areas experiencing increased demand for police and emergency medical services, specifically Downtown and Northeast Salem.
In support of this initiative, the Salem Fire Department launched the Rapid Engagement, Assessment, and Community Health (REACH) pilot program on January 20, 2026. The REACH team is an integrated response unit consisting of a paramedic, an emergency medical technician, and a Marion County Health and Human Services behavioral health associate. The team responds to incidents involving behavioral health crises, overdoses, and other complex medical and social needs, while also conducting proactive outreach to prevent future emergencies.
This staff report provides a one-month informational update on the REACH pilot program and outlines the performance data to be presented during the City Council information session.
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ISSUE:
Information only.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Information only.
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FACTS AND FINDINGS:
The REACH team was designed to address the increasing number of 911 calls associated with behavioral health crises, substance use disorders, and other complex social needs; calls that are not always effectively resolved through traditional emergency response alone.
The program pairs Salem Fire Department medical personnel, including a paramedic and an emergency medical technician, with a behavioral health associate from Marion County Health and Human Services. This integrated approach allows for early engagement, appropriate service referrals, and coordinated care, reducing repeat emergency responses and improving outcomes for individuals in crisis.
By providing an alternative response model, REACH is intended to reduce strain on the 911 system, decrease unnecessary emergency department utilization, and ensure that fire and EMS resources remain available for high-acuity emergencies.
As of February 20, 2026, during its first month of operation, the REACH team documented the following outcomes:
• Total Contacts: 49
• Total Transports to Alternative Locations: 12
• Transport Percent: 24.5%
• Patients Stabilized in Place: 10
• Total Community Resource Connections and Referrals: 45
Alternative destination transports included the Marion County Behavioral Health Crisis Center and Northwest Human Services Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Project. These transports represent alternatives to the Salem Health Emergency Department when clinically appropriate.
Additional operational impact during the first month includes:
• Fire companies and ambulances were relieved from active incidents, including a documented case where an ambulance was cleared by REACH and immediately reassigned to a CPR call in West Salem.
• Of the 49 total patient encounters involving the top 911 utilizers, 17, or 34.7%, were repeat patient encounters, highlighting concentrated system demand within a small group of high-frequency users.
• Percentage of encounters involving unhoused individuals: 67.3%.
• REACH prevented 27 fire companies from being dispatched and relieved 23 responding units, keeping crews available to handle 14 higher acuity calls such as CPR, breathing emergencies, and overdoses.
Community referrals included connections to the Behavioral Health Crisis Center, 988, Adult Protective Services, Center for Hope and Safety, housing resources, food resources, HOAP, and Salem Health. The exact counts of fewer than six community referrals are not publicly displayed to protect patient confidentiality.
By providing an alternative response model, REACH reduces strain on the 911 system, reduces unnecessary emergency department utilization, and ensures that fire and EMS resources remain available for high-acuity emergencies.
BACKGROUND:
The REACH pilot program is funded for a six-month period. The Salem Fire Department will provide informational updates to the City Council and the Marion County Board of Commissioners at the one-month, three-month, and six-month milestones. These updates will support the evaluation of the program’s effectiveness, operational value, and long-term viability beyond the pilot period.
DAVID GERBOTH
FIRE CHIEF
Attachments:
1. Reach - 1 Month Update.