Massena Rescue Squad backup debate unresolved

MASSENA — After nearly a month, the debate surrounding a contract to provide backup to the Massena Rescue Squad rages on.

The town board has yet to make a decision about paying Seaway Valley Ambulance, a private company, to keep an ambulance on reserve for the town in case the municipal volunteer squad is unable to respond to an emergency call.

"We're still in the investigating stage. We've contracted with Massena Rescue Squad from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. forever. Everybody needs to understand this is not a recent problem," said Councilman John F. Macaulay, one of the town liaisons with the Rescue Squad. "I don't think we're ready to just jump into $50,000 a year, if that's what it takes."

Last month, Seaway Valley's owner, David Sherman, came to the Town Board with an offer to keep one of its ambulances in reserve to back up Massena in case the volunteers were unable to answer an emergency call. For $50,000 a year, Seaway will accept whatever a patient's insurance company will pay for transport. For $25,000, the company will have to bill a patient if the entire cost of the transport is not covered.

Over a two-week period, Seaway Valley employees noted that the volunteers were unable to respond to eight calls, most of which were during the four hours a day when there is no contract in place to provide emergency transports. They logged that number by listening to the 911 scanner, according to general manager Philip E. Brown. The numbers are not official 911 records.

According to St. Lawrence County Director of Emergency Services Martin J. Hassett, the squad did not answer 10 calls between March 1 and May 20, while it did respond to 466. Each month, the squad is unable to respond to an average of four calls, according to town Supervisor W. Gary Edwards.

"Even if you don't look at Seaway Valley, something has to be done to fix the system," Mr. Brown said. "You've started billing patients, and once you've started billing patients, there's a certain obligation you have to meet."

The town has a contract with the Massena squad to cover emergency calls overnight from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., there is a paid staff member at the station on East Orvis Street. Since each call requires two people on staff, it is doubly hard for the volunteer squad to respond during the four hours a day when there is no one in the building.

The Massena squad has operated this way for years. Unanswered calls have become an issue only recently after a resident came to a town board meeting to complain about having to wait for half an hour for an ambulance to respond to her call. That call was placed on a Friday afternoon, during the unstaffed hours.

Councilman Macaulay and John M. Wicke, the other rescue squad liaison, asked the board for at least another month before making a decision on the matter. They also requested that Seaway Valley Ambulance staff approach the volunteers to discuss the proposal together.

"If this community wants to go from four calls a month and have better coverage — if that's what this community wants, get ready. It's either going to cost more in tax money or in fees," Councilman Charles A. Raiti said. "That's where the debate's going to end up."