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ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID DENTON PUBLICATIONS/ NEW MARKET PRESS PO Box 338 Elizabethtown NY 12932 Postal Patron

Saturday, April 29, 2017

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www.SunCommunityNews.com

In ARTS | pg. 9

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Grange to host Red Tail Ring

Michigan based duo to perform on May 5

In OPINION | pg. 6

Broadband stalemate

Communities need to step to the plate

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In LOCAL | pg. 3

Firemen open house

Pottersville VFD to open doors

Essex County presented with EMS options Long-awaited study has revealed suggestions for sustainability — including a countywide ambulance system By Pete DeMola

pete@suncommunitynews.com

ELIZABETHTOWN — A long-awaited survey of emergency services in Essex County has been completed. The comprehensive effort, in the making since July, offers an analysis of the county’s 16 rescue squads, from response times to staffing issues and suggested areas of improvement.

As the county’s emergency services coordinator begins to work with local squads to immediately implement suggested changes at their respective operations, county officials will now have to decide if they want to create a countywide ambulance district. Doing so, said Paul Bishop, a consultant with CGR, a Rochester-based consulting firm, might stave off some of the issues facing local squads, including ailing volunteer rates and staffing gaps through attrition. A survey of the 215 certified providers residing in Essex County revealed the share of calls has increased in every department over the past five years. But at the same time, the squads are aging. More than half of the providers are over the age of 50, and a “substantial number” expect

to be retiring within the next five to 10 years. “You’re going to be losing a lot of your providers in the next decade,” Bishop said. The shifting demographics pose a problem as squads hustle to respond to emergencies. Life-threatening events aren’t common, Bishop said, constituting some 50 out of the 4,440 calls registered in 2015. “But we need someone to do that quickly and effectively,” he said. Bishop briefed lawmakers on the report’s findings on Monday. There are several options for how a countywide system could be structured, Bishop said. The first is a single agency providing all ambulance and advanced life support response services.

Doing so would require the creation of a service district, in which the whole county pays for the same basic level of service. Another option could be a separate district for those receiving EMS response service. Under this model, municipalities could choose to opt-in to a receive a single ambulance service, which may be an attractive option for high-need localities, such as towns with a heavy seasonal tourist presence or those with retirement communities, nursing homes or campgrounds. Participating communities could then charge a billing formula based on a number of potential metrics, including home assessment, population and presence of the aforementioned high-call generators. >> See EMS | pg. 5

Hudson River Whitewater Derby set for 60th installment Two-day whitewater event in North Creek is the oldest continuous event of its kind in the nation By Pete DeMola

pete@suncommunitynews.com

NORTH CREEK — The region’s premier whitewater derby event has reached a critical milestone this year. The 60th annual Hudson River Whitewater Derby is slated for May 6-7 along various points of the Hudson river. The two-day event, which was started in 1958 by the Johnsburg Fish and Game Club, is the oldest continuous event of its kind in the nation. “This is the 60th, which we’re excited about,” said Kate Nightingale, event chair. Over the years, the race has garnered national attention, including ridealongs from national media outlets, including >> See DERBY | pg. 10


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