Municipal Leaders Address Area Emergency Services

HARLEM VALLEY — Mayors and supervisors of local municipalities discussed the shortage of emergency service volunteers in the Harlem Valley at Amenia Town Hall Monday.

Present were North East Supervisor Dave Sherman, Millerton Mayor Michael Cawley, Millbrook Mayor Don Briggs, Washington Supervisor Fussy Prisco and Stanford Supervisor Dave Tetor.

Amenia Supervisor Janet Reagon led the discussion.

The Amenia Rescue Squad is run by the Amenia Fire Company, which operates totally independently from the town.

In North East and Millerton, emergency services are provided under the umbrella of the North East Fire District, although Cawley said the fire department and the rescue squad were operations of the village until a few years ago.

In Washington, the ambulance squad is part of Millbrook Engine & Hook & Ladder Company, although the town presides over that entity.

Washington has already started to supplement its service with 12-hour coverage from Alamo Ambulance Services.

It’s much the same in Millbrook, Briggs said, where a paid service covers calls from 6 a.m to 6 p.m., when most volunteers are at their day jobs.

A big issue is the rising cost of hiring a service, Reagon said.

"They came to the table and we paid them $17,000 ... then they wanted to raise it to $180,000," Millbrook’s mayor said of Alamo service. "That’s where we are now. There’s an urgent and immediate need."

Reagon reported a conversation with a representative from Dover who said 12-hour daytime coverage would cost as much as $80,000.

"At a meeting, one supervisor said the bill for fire and rescue is almost half of the town budget," she said.

"In Arlington, the fire tax is higher than the town tax," Briggs added.

According to Cawley, local paid services such as Northern Dutchess paramedics, are dispatched through the fire district’s volunteer system.

Another concern is seniority at the scene, the group said.

"I believe that when a paid ambulance service uses [our volunteers] to do services ... they should not charge people," he stressed. "If a paramedic arrives at the scene, everybody has to listen to him."

Reagon told of a relative who needed emergency care in the hamlet of Wassaic. Both the Wassaic Rescue Squad and Northern Dutchess Paramedics were on the scene.

Although the relative was transported to the hospital by the Wassaic squad, she was billed by the paid service.

"I have full confidence in Wassaic, but how do you think that makes the volunteer feel? I’d rather the $500 be paid to Wassaic," Reagon said. "We don’t want to undermine [the volunteers]."

Another issue is the paid service’s response time, Briggs said.

One of Briggs’ Millbrook neighbors needed to go to the hospital. Alamo, which took 45 minutes to arrive at the scene, was dispatched from Beacon, he said, adding, "We can’t accept that."

Cawley suggested establishing an emergency services hub in a town like Stanford, so municipalities like Millbrook, North East and Millerton or Amenia could be reached speedily.

The majority of the panel said it was wary of relying on aid from Dutchess County or the state.

Briggs remembered that roughly five years ago, DeWitt Sagendorph, the coordinator of Dutchess County Emergency Response, said the formation of a committee to address volunteer shortage was "almost there."

"And we haven’t heard anything since," Prisco said.

"There does need to be a county or statewide solution. Part of the solution is getting both sides talking ... But I’ve never seen it in the county legislature," Reagon said. "But I don’t expect to get much from the county. I’m not overly confident."

"But it’s our responsibility to try," Prisco said.

At meetings last year, the Amenia Town Board discussed offering incentives, such as health insurance, to entice volunteers to join squads.

However, the state won’t allow the town to do that.

Other incentives, such as tax breaks, life insurance and deferred retirement were suggested.

"Maybe we should all think of what perks we could give the volunteers to help maintain them," Reagon said.

After the meeting, Reagon said she was pleased with the roundtable discussion, although continued dialogue is necessary.

"This shows everybody is concerned with these issues. But we need to get more information. We still have a lot of issues to talk about," she said.

The municipal leaders will gather again March 5 at Amenia Town Hall at 1 p.m. The public is welcome.