Norwich Common Council members discuss mutual aid agreement
(ES File Photo)
NORWICH – On Wednesday, the Norwich Common Council convened to discuss changes to their ambulance service's mutual aid agreement, and options for providing coverage going forward.
In March, Norwich officials announced the Norwich Fire Department would no longer be able to provide ambulance coverage past its certified areas starting April 1.
For years the Norwich Fire Department, the only paid fire service in the county, has been filling a gap in local ambulance coverage as other volunteer departments and for-profit ambulance services have struggled to meet local demand. Many remote areas have become dependent on Norwich providing this extra coverage over the years.
The recent change in the city's policy to more strictly follow its own contracted limits, is forcing a reckoning throughout the county's entire emergency response system.
This has led some in the community to express concern, making the mutual aid agreement the sole topic on the agenda at Wednesday’s meeting.
“We stopped responding outside of our CON (certificate of need) area if we have a call anyplace else within the county, which was typically in our own district. And then we had planned on April 1, to just stop responding outside of our CON area completely,” said Fire Chief Jan Papelino.
Officials said the driving force behind this change is the city’s lack of finances and manpower to keep up with EMS calls. Council members also said they would seek additional funding from other counties, but it would be an ongoing issue that will not be resolved quickly.
The council said they could provide the extra coverage if they could get it into a contract and get additional and fair compensation for the services.
“I’m open to the idea, and I believe my colleagues and the mayor are too, to say we’ve already got the infrastructure, all we’re asking for is some financial assistance. If you can provide that maybe we can increase our staff, maybe we can buy another rig, maybe we can station some of our professional staff in other areas where they're actually closer to where the patients might be,” said Alderman Matthew Caldwell.
Though Norwich has grappled with the larger coverage issues, council members said they were concerned the county and other municipalities were not doing their part and blaming the city for a issue beyond their control.
New Berlin, for example, closes their EMS services at 11 p.m. Any emergency calls made after that time fall on the Norwich Fire Department.
Alderman Robert D. Jeffrey spoke to these concerns, stating the planning and funding Norwich has put into local departments, and how other towns are reaping the benefits.
“I don’t know how we can get off of this cycle. Because instead of it being a city fire department, as it says on our ambulances and our equipment, it’s become a county ambulance and fire department,” said Jeffrey. “We just bought an ambulance. We planned. We planned because we’ve spent our own money and resources for our residents. Now other municipalities are taking advantage of that.”
Norwich Fire Captain Jason Gray, also spoke and provided council members with first-hand insight into the physical and mental toll this issue has on the fire department.
“You have firefighters and paramedics that are up all night long, running around the whole county. Last week, or maybe it was a week and a half ago now, a rig went to Oxford, they got back just to finish up some paperwork. A little while later they go to South Otselic, transport to Syracuse. They winded up staying over this shift a half hour. They were up all night long, after being up all day answering calls for mutual aid. It’s a safety issue. It’s a staffing issue and a safety issue,” said Gray.
Other residents urge Norwich to continue coverage outside their areas, to the county at large, so people would not suffer while officials worked out a plan.
Resident and local attorney Cheryl Sacco, told the board withdrawing from the agreement entirely should not be an option. She instead suggested evaluating resources and manpower to see what calls the city can handle.
”You can reserve forces for needs within your own boundaries, your certificate of need, as well as contract areas. But you can’t withhold just arbitrarily. If you have the needs due to call volumes, you can withhold it, but you cannot draw just a fine line and say we’re not participating in mutual aid,” Sacco advised.
Chenango County Medical Director Dr. Scott Cohen, expressed some understanding of restricting the services and the city's challenges, but also had concerns about EMS not being provided to neighboring towns entirely.
Speaking about the city limiting their traditional responses he said, “Where we’re gonna not respond at all, I don’t think is legal, nor is it in my case moral or ethical,” said Cohen.
Council members said they hope a long-term plan to address the issues will be proposed by the end of 2021. They then hope those new measures can be put into place by the end of 2022.
But, Gray said this would not fast enough to avoid serious consequences in staff and coverage.
“There are agencies in other counties … that develop ALS ambulance service in less than six months. It doesn’t take two years to develop it. It might be a multi-tiered approach, but it should not take years to do it,” said Gray. “It’s got to be faster.”
Norwich Mayor Shawn Sastri, said he was uncomfortable putting a time constraint on local officials.
“We have to be careful, right, we’re sitting here, we’re demanding the county do something. We’re not going to go and demand the county move faster … I don’t want to go down that road,” said Sastri.
Overall, there is a consensus among council members and fire department workers that something needs to change. Gray stated that “all of the burden can’t be on the city of Norwich.”
“I cannot imagine putting not only myself, a spouse, or children at risk by living very far outside of the fire district. That’s just in my thoughts, the work that emergency services such as ours do on a day to day basis is so critical to why people want to live here. I can’t imagine living somewhere without it,” said Alderman Jeffrey.
In March, Norwich officials announced the Norwich Fire Department would no longer be able to provide ambulance coverage past its certified areas starting April 1.
For years the Norwich Fire Department, the only paid fire service in the county, has been filling a gap in local ambulance coverage as other volunteer departments and for-profit ambulance services have struggled to meet local demand. Many remote areas have become dependent on Norwich providing this extra coverage over the years.
The recent change in the city's policy to more strictly follow its own contracted limits, is forcing a reckoning throughout the county's entire emergency response system.
This has led some in the community to express concern, making the mutual aid agreement the sole topic on the agenda at Wednesday’s meeting.
“We stopped responding outside of our CON (certificate of need) area if we have a call anyplace else within the county, which was typically in our own district. And then we had planned on April 1, to just stop responding outside of our CON area completely,” said Fire Chief Jan Papelino.
Officials said the driving force behind this change is the city’s lack of finances and manpower to keep up with EMS calls. Council members also said they would seek additional funding from other counties, but it would be an ongoing issue that will not be resolved quickly.
The council said they could provide the extra coverage if they could get it into a contract and get additional and fair compensation for the services.
“I’m open to the idea, and I believe my colleagues and the mayor are too, to say we’ve already got the infrastructure, all we’re asking for is some financial assistance. If you can provide that maybe we can increase our staff, maybe we can buy another rig, maybe we can station some of our professional staff in other areas where they're actually closer to where the patients might be,” said Alderman Matthew Caldwell.
Though Norwich has grappled with the larger coverage issues, council members said they were concerned the county and other municipalities were not doing their part and blaming the city for a issue beyond their control.
New Berlin, for example, closes their EMS services at 11 p.m. Any emergency calls made after that time fall on the Norwich Fire Department.
Alderman Robert D. Jeffrey spoke to these concerns, stating the planning and funding Norwich has put into local departments, and how other towns are reaping the benefits.
“I don’t know how we can get off of this cycle. Because instead of it being a city fire department, as it says on our ambulances and our equipment, it’s become a county ambulance and fire department,” said Jeffrey. “We just bought an ambulance. We planned. We planned because we’ve spent our own money and resources for our residents. Now other municipalities are taking advantage of that.”
Norwich Fire Captain Jason Gray, also spoke and provided council members with first-hand insight into the physical and mental toll this issue has on the fire department.
“You have firefighters and paramedics that are up all night long, running around the whole county. Last week, or maybe it was a week and a half ago now, a rig went to Oxford, they got back just to finish up some paperwork. A little while later they go to South Otselic, transport to Syracuse. They winded up staying over this shift a half hour. They were up all night long, after being up all day answering calls for mutual aid. It’s a safety issue. It’s a staffing issue and a safety issue,” said Gray.
Other residents urge Norwich to continue coverage outside their areas, to the county at large, so people would not suffer while officials worked out a plan.
Resident and local attorney Cheryl Sacco, told the board withdrawing from the agreement entirely should not be an option. She instead suggested evaluating resources and manpower to see what calls the city can handle.
”You can reserve forces for needs within your own boundaries, your certificate of need, as well as contract areas. But you can’t withhold just arbitrarily. If you have the needs due to call volumes, you can withhold it, but you cannot draw just a fine line and say we’re not participating in mutual aid,” Sacco advised.
Chenango County Medical Director Dr. Scott Cohen, expressed some understanding of restricting the services and the city's challenges, but also had concerns about EMS not being provided to neighboring towns entirely.
Speaking about the city limiting their traditional responses he said, “Where we’re gonna not respond at all, I don’t think is legal, nor is it in my case moral or ethical,” said Cohen.
Council members said they hope a long-term plan to address the issues will be proposed by the end of 2021. They then hope those new measures can be put into place by the end of 2022.
But, Gray said this would not fast enough to avoid serious consequences in staff and coverage.
“There are agencies in other counties … that develop ALS ambulance service in less than six months. It doesn’t take two years to develop it. It might be a multi-tiered approach, but it should not take years to do it,” said Gray. “It’s got to be faster.”
Norwich Mayor Shawn Sastri, said he was uncomfortable putting a time constraint on local officials.
“We have to be careful, right, we’re sitting here, we’re demanding the county do something. We’re not going to go and demand the county move faster … I don’t want to go down that road,” said Sastri.
Overall, there is a consensus among council members and fire department workers that something needs to change. Gray stated that “all of the burden can’t be on the city of Norwich.”
“I cannot imagine putting not only myself, a spouse, or children at risk by living very far outside of the fire district. That’s just in my thoughts, the work that emergency services such as ours do on a day to day basis is so critical to why people want to live here. I can’t imagine living somewhere without it,” said Alderman Jeffrey.
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