Severe manpower shortages may lead to Cobleskill and Richmondville rescue squads sharing services.
A lack of volunteers caused each squad to miss about 50 percent of its calls last year, and members of both want to improve service to the public.
A key element of the sharing plan would have Schoharie County supply one emergency medical technician for the two squads.
At the same time, both squads would step up recruitment to fill out depleted crews.
Sharing services––but not merging––came up at a special meeting of the Richmondville Volunteer Emergency Squad and officials from Richmondville and the county Friday afternoon.
Mike Hartzel and Ed Brandt of the county Emergency Management Office sketched a plan that would have Richmondville cover both districts several days a week and the Cobleskill Rescue Squad cover the other days.
The county EMT would serve when needed.
The manpower situation is so severe that the Richmondville squad is down to six active members, according to Larry Fort, RVES president.
“If we can’t get a county EMT here, we won’t survive three months,” he said after Friday’s meeting.
Cobleskill is in the same shape, down to 10 active members or less, said squad Captain Shane Jones on Monday.
“The big problem is that they just don’t have the people,” Mr. Hartzel said of both squads.
The Middleburgh Emergency Volunteer Ambulance Corps, like many other squads, was also lacking members and missing calls. Now that MEVAC has a county EMT, the squad makes 95 percent of its calls, Mr. Brandt said.
If Cobleskill and Richmondville share, they’d make up a schedule and include the county EMT.
“What are the holes [in the schedule], and we’ll fill them,” Mr. Brandt said.
All at Friday’s meeting agreed a second meeting was necessary including both squads and officials from both towns and villages. That meeting has yet to be set.
“We have to sit down with all of this and see what’s best and obviously how we can serve the people,” Cobleskill Mayor Linda Holmes said on Saturday.
A former longtime Cobleskill squad member, Mayor Holmes pointed out that the state Health Department probably must approve any shift in service or territory.
Volunteering in rescue squads is down across the state, Mayor Holmes and Mr. Jones said, with Mr. Fort pointing to long training and time commitments as reasons people don’t come out.
“We’ve tried to ask, but it’s not the same any more,” Mr. Fort said.
“It’s not just us, not just Richmondville,” Mr. Jones added. “People don’t have the time.”
But Mr. Hartzel said squads need to do a better job selling themselves and reaching the public.
He’s willing to help; the county has a recruitment grant that will promote members.
“We’ll buy ads in the paper, put up banners, help with open houses, provide the food,” he said.
“There are definitely things we can do. We won’t stop trying, that’s for sure.”