Erie County now has EMS crews dedicated to serving residents south of US Route-20A, and there already are plans in place to expand the fleet.
The department will increase its number from one vehicle to three by November, with another two by year’s end.
It’s a necessity because sometimes there are more calls than volunteers can handle, Director of Ambulance Services Karen Krytus said.
“The memberships are low for some of these companies,” she said.
They're doing a great job meeting the needs of their community. But if, for some reason, that need cannot be met, then we're there to help them and back them up.”
The department will operate on a budget of about $2 million, which will be funded by the county.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says it’s a worthwhile cost with the chance to save lives.
“How do you put a dollar value on the life of (an) individual?” he said. “If we can save lives as a result of this ambulance service being available, then that's a good thing for the for the greater good of the community.”
Despite only starting the project a year ago, progress was quick, Poloncarz said. He credits the level of bipartisan support as one of the driving factors.
The department is embracing the community aspect of the partnership, said Greg Gill, Deputy Commissioner of Emergency Medical Services,
Crews will be out interacting with residents even between calls, he said.
“We want to be there for the emergency calls, to help the volunteers and the patients to get to the hospital,” Gill said. “But in between, paramedics, we’ll be out there. We’ll be educating the public, we’ll be meeting the public, doing presentations at schools, visiting senior centers if they ask to try to talk about healthcare preparedness.”
Erie County EMS crews will operate out of Colden Fire Station, until a new building is completed specifically for county crews.
Having crews in the area is a must, especially with such unpredictable weather, Krytus said.
“We're well aware of the weather out here in Buffalo. And, you know, we've made, you know, the arrangements to be focused on the area you're in, be focused on the roads.”
