I just hope to God that Rotterdam keeps Mohawk out. They are called 'anyways' if our guy/girls are busy. Our people do a fine job and they don't get paid a bundle of money, so you know they aren't in it for that! I said it before...put it up for a vote/referendum. OR send out questionairs asking if residents would pay $25/yr to keep what we have. I have asked around, and most say that they would.

Mohawk is just another large corporation eating up small towns. Then we are at their mercy with no input! Mohawk is owned by the same people that own Kingsways nursing home, the assisted living facility and senior housing. There may be more owned as well, I don't know.

The $500,000.00 that the "proposal" would save Rotterdam probably has a 5year clause, which infact would just raise up the rate to erase the 500,000.00....Dont forget the EMT's and Tech's deserve raises too....

As I've said b4 if it isn't broke don't try to fix it. We have a fine system right now and we should keep it that way.

Rotterdam has a fine system now. Even if it does cost a bit more money, it is sometimes worth it to pay more to keep the good service that you already have. There is that old saying that you get what you pay for.

Ya know, I just heard that Rotterdam only has one ambulance now. It use to have two, but has recently scaled down to one. I don't know the particulars, but that clearly is not enough to service this town. No wonder I see Mohawk in the area as often as I do. What Rotterdam can't handle, Mohawk picks up the slack. I mean if there is an accident on the west side of town and then a resident has a heart attack on the east end...who goes where first? Perhaps that is why Mohawk is putting the push on to move in!

there are fire paramedics and police paramedics in the town....are there not????

http://www.spotlightnews.com

Quoted Text

ROTTERDAM: Of sirens and safety
Posted on: 06/27/07
Written by: Jessica Harding, Schenectady County Reporter
email: hardingj@spotlightnews.com

Mohawk Ambulance Service still wants to provide emergency medical services to Rotterdam. The company has submitted two proposals to the town claiming it could save Rotterdam taxpayers $500,000 and recently sent a mailer to residents informing them of the proposals.

Spokesman for Mohawk Ambulance Services Chris Bombardier said the first proposal would provide one dedicated ambulance to the town at no cost.
Bombardier said the town’s call volumes only necessitate having one dedicated ambulance within the town, but Rotterdam officials and residents have expressed the desire for two.

The second option, Bombardier said, would provide two dedicated ambulances in Rotterdam at a cost of $433,000 per year.

“We are looking to grow. We have headquarters in Schenectady, and we know we could provide excellent service to Rotterdam,” Bombardier said.

Mohawk Ambulance Service is vying to replace the current ambulance service in the town -- Rotterdam Ambulance, or Rotterdam EMS. The proposal would not replace the town-managed paramedics.

According to Bombardier, Mohawk Ambulance could provide better service and generate money for the town.

Bombardier said Mohawk Ambulance states in its contract that its response times are less than eight minutes, which he said is the national average.

Mohawk Ambulance has 28 vehicles and employs more than 200 people. The company does most of its business in Schenectady and Albany, with headquarters on Kings Road in Schenectady.

Mohawk Ambulance’s proposal could generate money for the town because the company would purchase Rotterdam EMS’ current garages and put them back on the tax rolls. Also, if the town were to keep its paramedic services, Mohawk Ambulance would reimburse the town for the use of those services. Bombardier said the estimates for that service would be six figures.

Bombardier said Mohawk Ambulance’s vehicles have the most advanced technology available with GPS tracking devices and direct feeds to hospitals so nurses and doctors are aware of what is happening in the ambulance, which cuts down on prep work in the hospital.

Discussions about the fate of emergency medical services in Rotterdam have been ongoing since at least 2003 when Supervisor Joseph Signore commissioned a consultant to study emergency medical services in the town. According to operations manager for Rotterdam EMS Jim Stairs, that consultant said hiring a private company, such as Mohawk Ambulance, to provide emergency services in the town should be considered.

In the last six months, consulting firm Holdsworth Pelton International completed a new study, which did not recommend privatizing emergency services and instead recommended merging the town-managed paramedics with the privately owned Rotterdam Ambulance service.

Bombardier said the Holdsworth study is flawed.

“If you look at the list of people interviewed, not one was from a commercial provider,” Bombardier said.

Stairs said he is frustrated with Mohawk Ambulance for many reasons.

“My frustration is that Mohawk Ambulance can’t seem to accept ‘no’ as an answer,” he said.

Stairs said the community has already expressed its opposition to using a commercial company for ambulance services and so has the town.

Stairs also said Mohawk Ambulance can’t point to anywhere in the Capital District where they do what they want to do in Rotterdam.

Stairs agrees with the Holdsworth study that the town-managed paramedics should merge with Rotterdam EMS.

Currently, when a person dials 9-1-1, a Rotterdam paramedic is dispatched from the police station and an ambulance is dispatched from Rotterdam EMS with two emergency medical technicians. By merging the two, it would cut down on vehicle trips and unnecessary people.

Rotterdam Supervisor Steven Tommasone said he also opposes using Mohawk Ambulance for emergency medical services within the town.

“The community has spoken resoundingly that they want to keep our own EMS intact,” Tommasone said. “The structure behind that is something that we will be talking about.”

Tommasone said he is waiting until the town’s budget is completed before making a final decision.

“When it comes to EMS services in our town, we have phenomenal professionals and paramedics and volunteers. It’s a service that we have to keep,” he said.

Bombardier said he only hopes Tommasone will consider Mohawk Ambulance as an option.

“We would only hope the supervisor would see the sense both fiscally and from an emergency car perspective,” he said.

It is refreshing to hear that Mr. Tommasone opposes using Mohawk.

I think Mr. Tommasone is one of  few voices trying to keep Rotterdam as Rotterdam, not going back to being South Schenectady.

Quoted Text

According to Bombardier, Mohawk Ambulance could provide better service and generate money for the town.

Generating $$ for the town means: taxes 'saved' spent on something else---not lower taxes---TAXES 'saved' NEVER RETURN TO OUR POCKETS---someone always has plans for that $$....whether it be for the employment/contract for their friends/family or just another pet project---it is up to us as residents/citizens (not consumers), to decide what the $$ would best go to........even if we did accept them where would the "savings" go too??...sewers??

The health care industry is looking to get into place for a National Health Care which WILL INCLUDE large lucrative government contracts with companies such as Mohawk........taxes paid twice are no good either....REMEMBER THE BOSTON TEA PARTY.......

I as a health care worker, in a different way I guess, don't think that this national healthcare is something that would help, and in fact, would just cost me my job.  And I can't afford to go get something else.  I might displace a "non-documented worker."

It would be interesting to know the stats of how many calls Rotterdam takes and how many have to be farmed out to Mohawk. Where can we obtain those stats?

Would that be public record?  Call the companies and ask.

Dont forget to ask how many actual deaths occurred due to "slow" response......