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Post by 911wacker on May 12, 2005 12:58:36 GMT -5
BY THE REVIEW 05/12/2005 A mutual agreement to merge the Wyalusing Area Ambulance and Memorial Hospital's Emergency Medical Service (EMS) is awaiting final approval by the courts and the state Attorney General to allow the two non-profit organizations to merge, Memorial Hospital announced.
The Wyalusing Area Ambulance board of directors sought the merger citing a decline in volunteers over the past several years and stricter state regulations making it more difficult to continue maintaining high quality service, states the announcement from Memorial Hospital. The EMS organizations jointly hired an EMS consulting firm, Binns & Associates from Kutztown, Pa., to perform a comprehensive study of the situation. The firm suggested they do merge, noting that Wyalusing Area Ambulance has made multiple attempts in the past to address their desire for more staff. Now Memorial Hospital will take applications to employ EMS personnel for the Wyalusing area, the hospital states. "Binns & Associates recommend this merger so that high quality emergency care will be available in the coverage area, as well as improved utilization of staff, equipment and vehicles," a Memorial Hospital spokesman stated. "The goal of both organizations is to help fulfill the EMS requirements of the communities and to assure continued quality service in a cost effective and efficient manner," said Paul Pauliny, president of Wyalusing Area Ambulance. "Memorial Hospital and the Wyalusing Area Ambulance directors recognize the need for uninterrupted ambulance service in this section of the county," said Wendy Allen-Smith, Memorial Hospital EMS manager. An ambulance will remain stationed at the Wyalusing Area Ambulance garage in Wyalusing Township, and there will be a continued membership program for people in the area, according to Memorial Hospital, and EMS personnel will also continue to participate in community events, covering sporting events at Wyalusing Valley High School and the Wyalusing Fireman's Carnival. Memorial Hospital also states that for people in the hospital's current primary coverage area there will not be a decrease in the level of service as a result of the merger.
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What are all of your thoughts and opinions? Will more volunteer companies go this route in your opinion?
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Post by FIREFIGHTER16 on May 12, 2005 21:08:03 GMT -5
I HAVE A QUESTION SCOTT, IS IT GOING TO BE STAFFED 24/7?
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Post by canton1 on May 13, 2005 0:13:50 GMT -5
I wish the People of Wyalusing GOOD LUCK
I hope that they (Memorial) will provide 24 hour coverage not a so called coverage. The people of Wyalusing deserve better than that. I know how the Corporate thing goes and I am afraid that they will get told that the statistics don't show a need for it to have someone IN Wyalusing 24/7. The key word STAFFING IN not a truck parked there..
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NT1
Full Member
Administrator
Be part of the solution not the problem.
Posts: 80
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Post by NT1 on May 13, 2005 10:02:03 GMT -5
Could this start a new trend. Good or bad we will have to see. Hopefully all will go well. What does the future hold. Maybe Wysox or Ulster next. Just a thought.
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Post by 911wacker on May 14, 2005 21:47:50 GMT -5
Well, speaking only of what I read in the Wyalusing Rocket-Courier - it seems that the Wyalusing station will be staffed ALS in the daytime and BLS at night. If this is wrong, I'm sure I would be one of the last ones to know it, as I read about in the paper same as you all did for the first time. Having run a few calls in that area, I feel this will be a HUGE benefit to the communitty, not just Wyalusing but the surrounding area as well. Staffing has become a large hurdle for many small ambulance companies in the area, its seem more and more we (the ALS units) handle an increasingly larger # of calls for them due to lack of staffing. I bet that if you look at any volunteer squad in the county, each one only has at most 4 members who they can really count on, most only have 2-3. Its too bad that the younger generations of people in the area don't feel that its their "duty" anymore as many of the older generations did when it comes to volunteering!!
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Post by blueeighty8 on May 15, 2005 7:41:05 GMT -5
Its too bad that the younger generations of people in the area don't feel that its their "duty" anymore as many of the older generations did when it comes to volunteering!! That's because the older generation had an even stronger generation to look upto and take over what great services they had already created. That image may have been ruined by bad press, and a few bad eggs in the bunch. It will take something big to get them over the downfall. Unfortunatly, its too late for some. IMO, EMS as a whole, is lacking; as is the fire service. Used to be you'd have one or two every other month join on; and maybe a dozen in one of the summer months. Lucky to get one or two a year any more. Hard to find many people who are willing to invest much of their time into the requirements for EMS and Fire, both of course require hundreds of hours of class room and hands on training. JEMS credits the popular 70's TV drama "Emergency!" with bringing thousands into EMS. Maybe the next generation of EMT's and Paramedics needs a Modern Johnny & Roy to convince them that all the training and hard work is worth it?
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24wacker1
Full Member
Can't we all just get along?
Posts: 77
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Post by 24wacker1 on May 8, 2006 21:37:42 GMT -5
Backdraft and Ladder 49 were pretty cool. I'm a fire wacker, and I liked them.
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