Ga-Lin

As a non resident I don't believe you have any standing to say anything. It's likly that you wouldn't even be permitted to attend a Town of Chester meeting. And pardon me for saying, but it sounds like you have a real hard *n for this MLSS and an unrelistic/unsupported/unsupportable belief in CVAC simply because they happen to be a VAC! Please! Remember Corona VAC in Queens. I say lets wait and see how this develops. Maybe the leadership really knows what they are doing and didn't banrupt the organization. Anything is possible.

As a non resident I don't believe you have any standing to say anything. It's likly that you wouldn't even be permitted to attend a Town of Chester meeting. And pardon me for saying, but it sounds like you have a real hard *n for this MLSS and an unrelistic/unsupported/unsupportable belief in CVAC simply because they happen to be a VAC! Please! Remember Corona VAC in Queens. I say lets wait and see how this develops. Maybe the leadership really knows what they are doing and didn't banrupt the organization. Anything is possible.

http://chroniclenewspaper.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20140116%2FNEWS01%2F140119958%2F-1%2FNEWS%2FChester-fires-its-volunteer-ambulance-corps

87D124, First of all, the main reason for the shutdown was the financial mismanagement, and really only the financial mismanagement. Chester VAC has other issues in addition to the debt and missing calls. Secondly, Emstar was providing BLS crews for Chester VAC, however, Chester stopped paying their Emstar bill, so Emstar pulled the BLS crews. And yes Emstar is a multi-state company with a lot of resources, but you would never know it. It's getting more and more common to hear them have very long response times to 911 calls, such as coming from Rockland for a call 20 minutes away from the Orange County/Rockland County border in Orange County. Personally, having worked with Emstar many times for ALS intercepts, I will say that most of their crews either Medics or EMTs have yet to impress me. Don't get me wrong, there are Emstar personnel who I think are great and do their job well, but the majority of their staff is less than impressive, including a few who I don't want in my ambulance. And all of these secret meetings you keep talking about with MLSS, you should come down to Emstar territory and listen to some of the stories about how Emstar does business. They will downright lie about anything if they think it'll help Emstar some how. Next you'll be saying that MLSS had secret meetings with Saint Anthony's administration and that's why Saint Anthony's ER now calls MLSS for inter-facility transports. And the reason this didn't really come out until now is that Neuhaus didn't want his name attached to shutting down volunteers while he was running for county Exec., but this has been going on for quite a while.

Kind of funny how one of the officers listed on the CVAC Facebook page(there's 2 separate pages by the way, I like the one showing a uniformed member flashing some gangster signs that's professional) lists herself on her own Facebook page being employed by EMSTAR....rumor is that she works in the billing department. hmmmmm...wait what bill wasn't paid??..and the letter CVAC posted doesn't seem to match the article reported by the chronicle..complaints from how PD, FD and residents. If all allegations are cleared than an apology should be made public but for now I'm glad that the residents AND the other public servants within this community will not have to worry about an ambulance/care rendered. Town of Chester took drastic action and I for one am glad they did rather than continue to look the other way for another 8-9 months...P.S. Congrats to our new County Exec.

As a non resident I don't believe you have any standing to say anything. It's likly that you wouldn't even be permitted to attend a Town of Chester meeting. And pardon me for saying, but it sounds like you have a real hard *n for this MLSS and an unrelistic/unsupported/unsupportable belief in CVAC simply because they happen to be a VAC! Please! Remember Corona VAC in Queens. I say lets wait and see how this develops. Maybe the leadership really knows what they are doing and didn't banrupt the organization. Anything is possible.

This is irresponsible and obviously you have some sort of ax to grind against MLSS. Whiskey and cigars? You state that there was no recent relationship between the town and MLSS, but don't they cover Monroe and Goshen? If I'm the Town Supervisor, the logical first call would be the service that covers the towns on either side of me. What a novel thought......the articles in the press allude to slow response times, complaints by town residents, fiscal problems, and a lack of communication with the town board. To represent that this was all a scheme by MLSS or the Town is just ridiculous and apparently baseless. Unbelieveable....

As a non resident I don't believe you have any standing to say anything. It's likly that you wouldn't even be permitted to attend a Town of Chester meeting. And pardon me for saying, but it sounds like you have a real hard *n for this MLSS and an unrelistic/unsupported/unsupportable belief in CVAC simply because they happen to be a VAC! Please! Remember Corona VAC in Queens. I say lets wait and see how this develops. Maybe the leadership really knows what they are doing and didn't banrupt the organization. Anything is possible.

As a non resident I don't believe you have any standing to say anything. It's likly that you wouldn't even be permitted to attend a Town of Chester meeting. And pardon me for saying, but it sounds like you have a real hard *n for this MLSS and an unrelistic/unsupported/unsupportable belief in CVAC simply because they happen to be a VAC! Please! Remember Corona VAC in Queens. I say lets wait and see how this develops. Maybe the leadership really knows what they are doing and didn't banrupt the organization. Anything is possible.

Sounds like some people are butt hurt about this who have nothing to do with the agency. Is it a shame that this happens to a Volunteer agency? Yes it is but they are still receiving ambulance service. The residents of that ambulance district do not care who the ambulance company is as long as one shows up when they are requested. All that is going on right now is speculation as to why they were shut down so really no one has anything to say until it is made public. Maybe everyone forgot a few years ago the careless spending of the agency? Maybe it caught up to them finally. Maybe they were unable to crew more often then not. There has always been issues there. And it's not just them but it happens to every agency, Fire and EMS. So instead of poking around and saying back door deals of who is the ambulance company serving Chester or speculating what happened, why don't people just wait until it is made public and get the true story. All it does is stir the pot for no reason because some people feel the need to just start issues without knowing facts

As a non resident I don't believe you have any standing to say anything. It's likly that you wouldn't even be permitted to attend a Town of Chester meeting. And pardon me for saying, but it sounds like you have a real hard *n for this MLSS and an unrelistic/unsupported/unsupportable belief in CVAC simply because they happen to be a VAC! Please! Remember Corona VAC in Queens. I say lets wait and see how this develops. Maybe the leadership really knows what they are doing and didn't banrupt the organization. Anything is possible.

As a non resident I don't believe you have any standing to say anything. It's likly that you wouldn't even be permitted to attend a Town of Chester meeting. And pardon me for saying, but it sounds like you have a real hard *n for this MLSS and an unrelistic/unsupported/unsupportable belief in CVAC simply because they happen to be a VAC! Please! Remember Corona VAC in Queens. I say lets wait and see how this develops. Maybe the leadership really knows what they are doing and didn't banrupt the organization. Anything is possible.

Show support...? Nothing has been said yet as far as reasons for the shutdown...but I think when something as drastic as this happens isn't a shutdown usually appropriate at least while allegations are sorted out? If the 100k debt is true then mismanagement would be part of the problem/cause. Hypothetically of course if this rumor turns out to be accurate I wouldnt want an organization like this in my community. I've been honored to learn while working alongside MLSS crews, how they manage their business contracts is irrelevant. MLSS is a professional organization that's been serving this area for a long time....and it's because they have a history and reputation for employing professionals.....plus they've held the same name since the beginning, I like that. :-). I like your enthusiasm but I'll wait to show my support until things have been aired and everyone publicly cleared.

I'm no longer involved in EMS and know nothing about the Chester situation. Obviously it's unfortunate when a VAC is shut down, but there must be valid reasons, no?
Either way, I'm just happy to see that there is EMS coverge still being provided to the community.
Some people may not like it or have bruised egos and hurt feelings, but so be it. At least coverage is being provided. If I needed an ambulance, I'd expect one to show up in a timely manner. Having an MLSS rig there would certainly increase the chances of getting an ambulance to an emergency in a reasonable response time.

If the town found reason that the ambulance service needed to be shut down either temporarilty or permanently then it would be entirely appropriate with them to meet with providers to ensure that coverage was continued in at least the interm. Mobile Life is a well established commercial service with a long track record. They have an continue to provide service like that Chester has secured. If I was a town in Orange County needing stop gap ambulance coverage they would be the top of my list. Meetings for professional services on the municipal level are rarely negotiated in open regular board meeting so that too is perfectly understandable. What has been refered to as secret can easily be looked at as proper "closed" door negotiations. I have personally been tasked with hiring professional services for a town and I met with companys in this format.
As for the shutting of the agency again it would appear that most reasons that would warrant this type of action would allow the board to deliberate and make such determinations in executive session.

Yes I did know. All you say is absolutly true They are, for all I can see, a top EMS agency, now. I always see ads in the paper offering CPR & first aid classes to their community. As you mentioned MLSS was INVITED in by the then town supervisor. He did this after a rather long peiod of time of NWVAC not being able to ans their calls due to problems with riding membership. After a, again, long period of trying to work with them he did the only thing a responsible official could do, he called in someone who would take care off his citizens. It wasn't until AFTER this happened that NWVAC reorganized, restructed & yes retaliated, making him out to be the bad guy. He was indeed defeated & voted out of office in the next election. I can't help but to appalud his courage, He had to know that it was going to cost him. Today NWVAC, an outstanding organization, is a model for others to follow and an example of what can be done. It's just a shame that the events had to go the way they did in order to bring it to pass.

MLSS is a private company in the business of makeing money. While they might not be overly friendly to the volunteer system neither are they the out & out enemy either. They are a large employer of people in the Hudson Valley who, by all accounts, are good and fair to their employees most of he time), benifits etc (pay could be a little bit better but they are in the range of other commercial services within the region). It has been my experience that most VACs are certainly capable of screwing things up on their own without outside interference. Case in point NWVAC and more recently, Corona VAC in Queens

MLSS is a private company in the business of makeing money. While they might not be overly friendly to the volunteer system neither are they the out & out enemy either. They are a large employer of people in the Hudson Valley who, by all accounts, are good and fair to their employees most of he time), benifits etc (pay could be a little bit better but they are in the range of other commercial services within the region). It has been my experience that most VACs are certainly capable of screwing things up on their own without outside interference. Case in point NWVAC and more recently, Corona VAC in Queens

Just heard/saw on the TV last night that the US Treasury (IRS) will be exempt VFF from complying with the ACA (Obamacare).

I like all the comments of: "the rules are the rules" ....What I find interesting is how many of those agencies are 100% compliant with OSHA Laws ("rules")?
Does your EMS agency train every member in hazmat before they can respond on ANY calls?
What about proper PPE for MVA's? This means every responder has helmet, gloves, coat, pants, & boats that meet NFPA standards and they are wearing them?
How many have been trained in confined space awareness, trench/excavation awareness and water safety as required by law?

1. Agreed
2. Yes the same can be said for them, My point was for those who keep saying the rules must be followed.......
The private sector guy is right and wrong. Generally EMS only needs awareness, however the law is clear that firefighters need ops (minimum) and all must have the training before responding on any call, not just hazmat calls. When the law came out in the 80's, Nassau County trained all the firefighters to awareness and the NYS Courts told them to upgrade everyone to ops.
3. NYS & many other state courts have said that consensus standards are the standard that are used by the courts, unless you can prove they directly do not applies to you. FED OSHA has fined commercial EMS in Westchester for failing to provide proper PPE for EMS at MVA's and they use the NFPA standards for it. Also more than 50% of NFPA standards have nothing to do with fire departments.
4. DOL General Duty Clause requires the employer to:
SEC. 5. Duties (a) Each employer -- (1) shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees;
(2) shall comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act.
29 USC 654 ( Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his own actions and conduct.
Hazmat is very specific:
1910.120(q)(6) Training. Training shall be based on the duties and function to be performed by each responder of an emergency response organization. The skill and knowledge levels required for all new responders, those hired after the effective date of this standard, shall be conveyed to them through training before they are permitted to take part in actual emergency operations on an incident. Employees who participate, or are expected to participate, in emergency response, shall be given training in accordance with the following paragraphs:
1910.120(q)(6)(I) First responder awareness level. First responders at the awareness level are individuals who are likely to witness or discover a hazardous substance release and who have been trained to initiate an emergency response sequence by notifying the proper authorities of the release. They would take no further action beyond notifying the authorities of the release. First responders at the awareness level shall have sufficient training or have had sufficient experience to objectively demonstrate competency in the following areas:
1910.120(q)(8) Refresher training.
Those employees who are trained in accordance with paragraph (q)(6) of this section shall receive annual refresher training of sufficient content and duration to maintain their competencies, or shall demonstrate competency in those areas at least yearly.
For Confined Space:
1910.146(g) Training.
1910.146(g)(1)The employer shall provide training so that all employees whose work is regulated by this section acquire the understanding, knowledge, and skills necessary for the safe performance of the duties assigned under this section.
1910.146(g)(2)(i)Training shall be provided to each affected employee: Before the employee is first assigned duties under this section;
1910.146(g)(2)(ii) Before there is a change in assigned duties;
DOL has interpreted this to mean if an employee can be assigned to a location that has a confined space, then at a minimum they must know what they are and what the hazards of them are.
The trench standard lists that employees may not enter an unprotected trench. Citations under the General Duty Clause have been issued because employees did not understand what an unprotected trench is.
The same standard applies to water hazards
The level of training for "Operating" at these locations is higher. Here I'm just referring to the requirements for being at a location that has these hazards.

People, both civilians & us in the Emergency response community, get very emotional where sick or injured children are concerned. If this young man was "a loose cannon" as someone sugested and needed to be reeled in, this was not the instance to do it. True, rules are rules but you also need to, sometimes, pick your battles. This could have & should have been handled better. No matter how you look at it .. it hurt 'em & to a larger extent all others in the volunteer community.
In reading this I was wondering if the young man in question would have been of the same mind if the call was for the elderly old lady who fell and couldn't get up (Fx hip) or the old man with belly pain (GI bleed or maybe just constipated) they also deserve the same level of concern on our part and unfortunately seldom get it.

It has nothing to do with the rules, its about control of the many (mostly newer, younger members) by the few (mostly long standing, older members). This is the main reason so many VACs have staffing/membership issues. Instead of qualifing people and clearing them based on ability (this guy is a NYS EMT, already works for a busy commercial service, p/t PD. VFD) they force him out. I just wonder where the Capt and other Brd members who voted against this young man were when this call was going down? 4 page outs, I mean really! And then the so called Captain states that "this is the type of story that the public" (which he supposedly serves) "doesn't need to be told" "There's no value in this story other than shock value" (at least he got this point right) "and gossip" He also states It's about "going through the proper training" "Experience driving other ambulances doesn't necessarily matter" I'd like to know what driver training they offer in order to "properly prepare" their members. This is a guy who has been around since he was 15, restarted the youth squad of his corps, which in well run places brings in a supply of young, already well groomed members. Now he's done and probably for good, along with how many of the Jr. members who looked up to him as a role model.

Now here is another question for the agency. The suspended EMT is at the bay with another EMT & a driver when the call for the 4Y/O comes in ......Two minutes later another call comes in for an injuried 80 Y/O man. The question is why were they not already signed on & enroute to the first call. Two minutes is really a long time to be sitting around when everyone (crew wise) is there.

The point I think we all are mising is that there is a severe internal problem within this agency. This individual was a crew chief, working committee member, has been in & around the agency since he was 15, 5-6 years and was the youth squad advisor. Anyone remember the end scene in the movie Philidelphia, when the jury is in the room discussing the case? Why do you still have a problem with someone that you have had & should have been grooming for the past 5-6 years, why promote a problem child to crew chief and why in Gods name do you put someone that you are having, supposedly, long standing control issues with in charge of your farm system, your youth squad, who is suppose to serve as a mentor & role model for these kids. I just don't get it, someone want to explain it to me......Like I'm a 3 year old.