TOWN OF ULSTER, N.Y. – Ambulance coverage has been approved for the towns of Ulster and Kingston under a $1.28 million contract with Empress Ambulance Service.
The agreement, which begins March 1, was approved Thursday during an Ulster Town Board meeting.
“The town of Kingston has appropriated $100,000 for ambulance services, which is what we’re going to negotiate and put in an agreement … that they will contribute toward the cost,” Ulster town Supervisor James Quigley said.
Quigley said the basis for the cost split is equitable based on the number of calls expected and the area covered in each town. Among factors is Ulster being a major commercial hub and its population of 12,660 people compared to Kingston’s sparse commercial area and a population of 933.
“When I looked at the assessed values and the relationship between the town of Kingston and Ulster, the $100,000 is about where it would be on an assessed basis,” Quigley said. “It’s not to the penny, but it’s not far off.”
Among the hopes for officials is that the agreement can be a model for the appropriate costs for all communities, which officials have long acknowledged is difficult to achieve.
“The town of Kingston doesn’t have the critical mass to have an (individual) ambulance contract,” Quigley said.
“They only have 60 to 100 calls a year at the most … and they were quoted a million dollars for an ambulance,” he said. “A million is more than their entire budget. It was no different than what Empress told (town Supervisor) Jeanne Walsh in Rosendale and no different from what Mayor (Steve) Noble told me that Empress asked for in the city of Kingston.”
The contract goes through Dec. 31 and can be extended for a year at a new rate.
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Under the contract, there will be one advanced life support ambulance and one basic life support ambulance with crews available 24 hours per day, seven days a week.
“The location is left to the discretion of Empress to achieve the response times that are specified in the contract,” Quigley said.
“It’s unrealistic to place two ambulances in Lake Katrine with the expectation that they’re going to get to Eddyville in 12 minutes,” he said. “So, we are leaning toward allowing them to station at Cornell Street in the city of Kingston, which is the center of everything.”
The contract obligates Empress to reach the scene within 11 minutes and 59 seconds for 90% of calls.
Empress will transport emergency patients to the hospital of their choice, including Northern Dutchess Hospital, but are not obligated to provide transportation to a medical facility that is further than 15 miles unless deemed medically appropriate by the paramedic or physician who is rendering care.
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