GREENFIELD, Mass. — The county must establish new policies as private, for-profit ambulance services start responding to 9-1-1 calls from county residents, the county Public Safety Committee has decided.
The town of Greenfield recently entered into a contract with Empire Ambulance Service of Cohoes to provide primary response, becoming the first for-profit ambulance to take that role in the county. But county officials think it may not be the last.
“We have a private entity that wants to use our 9-1-1 system, and the question is how to handle it,” said committee Chairman Bill Peck, R-Northumberland.
He said county officials generally feel Empire Ambulance should be making some payment to the county for becoming part of its 9-1-1 dispatching system. Empire would also need to obtain radio equipment compatible with the county dispatching system.
Ambulance service in the county is currently provided by municipalities or nonprofit emergency medical organizations like the Community Emergency Corps in Ballston Spa or Clifton Park-Halfmoon Emergency Corps.
Last year, the city of Saratoga Springs decided to sever its ties with the nonprofit Saratoga Emergency Medical Services, which has since gone out of business. The city Fire Department now provides first emergency medical response, but that left Greenfield — which had also used Saratoga Emergency Medical Services — without a provider.
Empire Ambulance has a contract to provide backup in Saratoga Springs and last month signed a contract to provide primary response in Greenfield.
Peck said that raises questions about how a private entity should participate in a publicly funded emergency dispatching system.
The county has a large 9-1-1 dispatching center at the county jail in Milton that handles more than 40,000 calls a year and recently completed a $14 million project to upgrade the countywide emergency radio system.
“We may see more of these private ambulance corps coming in in the future,” Peck said. “The consensus seems to be that they should be paying something.”
A subcommittee was established to draft a proposed policy. The members will be Peck, county Emergency Services Director Paul Lent, County Administrator Spencer Hellwig, Greenfield town Supervisor Richard Rowland, Sheriff James D. Bowen and County Attorney Stephen Dorsey.
The contract between Empire Ambulance and Greenfield was to take effect April 1, but it can’t until the dispatching issue is worked out. While the issue is being worked out, Peck said Greenfield will continue to have mutual aid coverage through the nonprofit ambulance corps in surrounding communities.
