Anyone needing an ambulance in Schoharie County won’t have an agonizing wait, as they may have had in the past.
The county Office of Emergency Services welcomed three new ambulances and two fly cars that will augment volunteer rescue squads that are often stretched thin.
The new vehicles will be staffed by paid emergency medical technicians, a key piece of the plan county supervisors approved in April.
The ambulances and fly cars will probably be in service the first week of July, according to Mike Hartzel, OES director.
One ambulance will be stationed in Blenheim to serve the southern end of the county, and another will be based in Cobleskill, Mr. Hartzel said.
The third ambulance will be in reserve and also rotated with the other two.
Paramedics will use the fly cars to meet volunteer squads at the scenes of serious emergencies.
“In my almost eight years as supervisor, this is the one thing I’m most proud of,” said Conesville Supervisor Bill Federice, also chair of the Board of Supervisors.
Mr. Federice was speaking at the OES office in Cobleskill, where the five vehicles were on display Thursday.
Supervisors originally proposed to use federal stimulus funds for the vehicles and EMTs but decided to use money from savings––a total of more than $600,000.
“The first consideration was not cost but what was needed,” Mr. Federice said.
“This is a huge step forward for Schoharie County,” Mr. Hartzel said. “I thank supervisors for having the foresight to do this.”
Both he and Mr. Federice pointed to instances when volunteer squads couldn’t respond, forcing people to wait for help. Now, Mr. Hartzel said, volunteer squads will be called out first, and if they can’t respond, a county ambulance will roll.
There’s been concern that the new county plan will replace local squads, but that’s not the case.
“These won’t take the place, but they will help the volunteers,” Mr. Hartzel said.
Several others spoke on Thursday, including Bill Bivona, past Jefferson fire chief and president of the county Fire Chiefs’ Association.
“I’m proud to be a first-responder and proud to be a Schoharie County resident,” Mr. Bivona said.
“This is the only solution to a multi-decade problem.”
Assemblyman Chris Tague played a role, also, securing a $50,000 grant to buy one of the fly cars.
“This is something everyone benefits from,” Assemblyman Tague said when visiting the OES office on Friday. “Saving lives is what this is all about.”