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| May 05, 2024 |
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General News: COVAC Down Two Ambulances; Seeks Talks
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| This town of Newburgh ambulance was on standby on Sunday night in Cornwall. |
December 07, 2010
The Cornwall Volunteer Ambulance Corps is facing a serious shortage of the vehicles it needs to respond to calls, according to its CEO, Michael Bigg, Jr. who spoke to the Cornwall town council on Monday night to ask for a renewal of negotiations on the future of COVAC.
Bigg told council members that two of the corps’ three ambulances are out of service for repair and that it is turning to other area ambulance services for mutual aid. A town of Newburgh ambulance was on standby at the Christmas tree lighting on Sunday at Chadeayne Circle.
Town council members were surprised to learn of the situation and questioned why the corps had not kept them informed about the vehicles’ repairs. Councilwoman Mary Beth Greene Krafft reminded Bigg and Victoria Kartis, the vice president of the corps, that the town owns the vehicle and should be the one to make a decision on whether they should be repaired or replaced.
Kartis apologized for the oversight and added that she has been trying for several months to speak with the council about a new proposal for restructuring COVAC. Bigg also noted that a new ambulance, which has been paid for in part with a $70,000 grant from the state, is ready to be put in service once the town and COVAC can agree on the terms of a new structure.
Negotiations between COVAC and the town council have been going on for more than two years but broke down earlier this year after failing to reach agreement on granting COVAC independence. The council agreed to meet with the ambulance corps next Monday, December 13, at 6:30 pm, to re-start the talks.
Comments:
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Let me get this straigt...New Windsor Ambulance can employ full-time EMT's during the day, full-time Paramedics, responds to more calls then COVAC, has a great supply of cash, owns everything and COVAC has 1 ambulance running? Why, because the Town Board refuses to allow the ambulance to separate from Town control and soft bill insurance companies for services. Ambulance taxes in New Windsor actually went down while the level of service increased. It's about time the people who know how to run an ambulance service be given the resources to do so. The ambulance corps is not going to send town residents to a collections agency if they don't pay their share of what insurance doesn't cover (their co-pay). The ambulance corps writes it off. Let them separate, let them soft bill and watch the service increase while your tax bill goes down. Just my .02
posted by Steve Larson on 12/08/10 at 10:32 PM
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