NORWICH – Six months after Superior Ambulance announced it would be cutting service in Chenango County by two-thirds, the City of Norwich is feeling the effect of the company’s decreased service.
“So far this year, we’ve had 83 calls for service outside of our fire district,” said Sixth Ward Alderman Robert Jeffrey at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Finance and Personnel Committee. “Over the course of the year, that will be 166 calls. We can’t continue doing this.”
According to reports compiled by Police and Fire Chief Joseph Angelino and City Finance Director William Roberts, the Norwich Fire Department has responded to 15 ambulance calls in the Sherburne area so far this year. Last year, the department responded to a total of five calls in that area.
“That shows the effect of Superior’s cuts,” Roberts said. Angelino pointed out the numbers did not include the number of times an ambulance left the station to respond to a call and was called off before arriving. Angelino explained that those instances cause wear and tear to the ambulances and result in no payment. When asked what amount of time is spent per call, Angelino explained it varies greatly, but the average is at least an hour.
“This is a crisis situation, and we’re trying to work it out at this time,” said Mayor Joseph Maiurano.
Since Superior cut service to the area, committee members have been concerned the Norwich Fire Department is shouldering the cost of the ambulance crisis.
“The critical thing is that the people paying for service (taxpayers in the Norwich area) get the best benefit,” said Fourth Ward Alderman Walter Schermerhorn. “At some point and time, we have to stop this.”
Committee members wanted to know what was being done by individual towns and at the county level to deal with the situation. No one at the meeting knew what specifically was being done.
“Can the county reimburse the city for the costs being shouldered by the city fire department?” Jeffrey asked. The answer to his question was not readily available.