nyc volly need help

[mifd230]

West Hamilton Beach vols need some help

BY TONIA N. CIMINO

tcimino@queenscourier.com

Tuesday, February 8, 2011 7:09 PM EST

The West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department (WHBVFD) needs help – stat.

Despite a successful fundraiser on Thursday, February 3 – at which $15,000 was raised – the department is in desperate need of one – possibly two – ambulances.

New Chief Joseph M. Vasquez Aldana told The Courier that on February 1 the WHBVFD’s 2008 ambulance was on the scene of a two-car accident on the westbound Belt Parkway just after Lefferts Boulevard. Parked behind the vehicles in order to block the scene, the ambulance had its lights flashing. Lieutenant Ronald Corchado was in the driver’s seat; Captain Daniel Amorim and EMT Alex Razumov were walking to the patients when, according to Aldana, a Jeep Grand Cherokee with three occupants struck the back of the ambulance, lurching it forward, striking Amorim and injuring the other two WHBVFD members.

“Highway 3 officers said the car was speeding,” said Aldana. “Ron [Corchado] had the worst injuries.”

Now, more than a week later, the department is waiting to see if the better of its two ambulances is totaled.

“The damage was very significant,” he said.

The second due ambulance, said Aldana, is from 1995 and has been having engine problems.

“If the one is not totaled, we can spend money on one ambulance instead of divvying it up,” he said, noting that a new ambulance costs $135,000. “Right now we’re down to one ambulance that barely works.”

The department, with 26 active members, said Aldana, is pivotal in responding to area emergencies – and has, “in the past few months, been busy, with both ambulances active.”

“The majority of the time, when one of us goes on a call we know the patient – it’s more on a personal level,” said the Chief. “But with this economy it’s been tough – we’ve been getting cut out of grants.”

The WHBVFD, with an annual operational budget of $70,000, depends solely on grants, funding from politicians and contributions. No member is paid.

So Thursday’s fundraiser at Russo’s on the Bay – an annual event – is very important to keeping the department running.

City Councilmember Eric Ulrich, an honorary Fire Commissioner, and Tina Marie Palmiotto, who began a scholarship in her son John Anthony Palmiotto’s name, were honored that evening.

“It was really nice, but bittersweet,” said Palmiotto, who noted that a few of the WHBVFD members grew up with John and even responded to the scene of the accident that claimed his life. “I was overwhelmed with emotion. There were a lot of people in that room that support the scholarship. Every time I turned around there was someone I knew or who knew my son.”

Aldana, who is a second generation Chief of Department, sworn in at the event by his father, Joseph Vasquez Aldana, a 27-year veteran, said they still need $100,000.

If you’d like to donate, send a check or money order “care of ambulance fund” to P.O. Box 177, Howard Beach, NY 11414.

[Emtpbill]

I feel for the members hurt and a fundraiser is awesome,

But for the Rigs damaged.. What about insurance????

[paramedicmike]

What about the insurance, indeed!

Do they not have insurance on their ambulances? Was the striking driver uninsured?

If the striking driver has insurance then that insurance company should be picking up the tab for the ambulance AND the cost of care for those injured by the driver's negligence. Worker's Comp insurance shouldn't be left holding the bag covering for the offending driver.

[emtannie]

I agree with others - what about insurance?

And, not knowing this area, I googled it a bit...

Although Wikipedia isn't the most reliable source, it shows some statistics.. Population of just under 4700, with a median income of just over $78,000.

It also states that this is one of the few volly departments left in NYC. Why is that? Given the income levels, I think that the area could support a paid service, or at least finance the new vehicle needed. Working with that 4700 population number, if every home donated $20 for every man, woman, and child in the home, most of the funds would be raised. That isn't a lot of money, given the median income for the area.

PR and educating your community to the fact that they need your services and they won't have them if you can't get the financial support required is a major issue. Consider all the options, including possibly leaving the volly scene behind, and going paid, to get access to other funding. Remember - they pay for garbage pickup, street cleaning, and other municipal services. Educate your community - let them know that you are an essential service that they won't have if you don't get the money you need.

[Richard B the EMT]

I find it interesting, at a meeting, on the 10th, of the NY State Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Association's local district, including WHBVFD, the past chief, who I have known longer than either of us likes admitting, didn't mention it, nor did anyone else at the meeting.

[FredG]

It also states that this is one of the few volly departments left in NYC. Why is that?

NYC is a strange beast in many ways. There are 30 or so community based volunteer ambulance services and 4 or 5 community volunteer fire departments that cover portions of the city alongside paid units. These volunteer squads have Certificates of Needs to cover their specific communities and they usually have fairly close ties with members of those communities. The VFDs usually cover areas in the outskirts of the city where FDNY Fire coverage is limited.

In the outer boroughs of NYC, there is still a strong sense of local communities. In fact, in Queens, the Post Offices are still named for the local communities, not the city or borough. So, if you mail something to someone in Manhattan, you address it "NY, NY", but if that person were in Queens, it may be addressed "Howard Beach, NY" or "Hollis, NY", depending on the community.

I have been out of that system for several years (I actually used to ride with WHBVFD's volly neighbor to the North), but these squads used to log on with FDNY as an additional EMS unit in the system. They also receive direct calls as well. Most do 3rd party billing and as 501C3 non-profits apply for grants as they come up.

The volly squads in the city used to be (maybe still are?) a good training ground for many of the paid EMS services. I know a lot of people who started out in a volly squad and went on to go to FDNY EMS or one of the hopsital based units.

[Richard B the EMT]

I'm going to mention that the Queens County, NY area of New York City has 5 Volunteer Fire Departments, Broad Channel VFD & VAS, Point Breeze VFD (AKA Breezy Point VFD), Rockaway Point VFD & VAS, Roxbury VFD & VAS, and the aforementioned West Hamilton Beach VFD & VAS. All of them are in the same Councilmanic district of NYC, and State Assembly District of New York State.

Roxbury, Point Breeze, and Rockaway Point departments are all in the confines of the "Breezy Point Co-Operative", 3 "gated" private communities, with their own security force. Were I to go west to there, I couldn't just drive around, as I'd have to get a pass to access beyond the security booths or gates first. Point Breeze is the only one of the 3 that doesn't run an ambulance, but they have FF/EMTs as members.

On the Brooklyn side of Jamaica Bay, there's the Gerritsen Beach VFD & VAS. I am told, but have no actual information, that Richmond County, NY, better known as Staten Island, has 2 VFDs, and that the Bronx, NY, has one.

Within New York City, overall, there's at least 30 VAS, as mentioned in someone else's posting, which are covered in Districts 4 and 18 of the New York State Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association (I'm a member of D-4, myself).

Adding to this, the VFDs with VAS might refer to that part of their operations (the VAS) as Rescue Companies, not ambulance, EMS, VAC (Volunteer Ambulance Corps), or VAS (Volunteer Ambulance Service).

[NYCEMS9115]

Call the Private Ambulances in NYC like TransCare, Citiwide, SeniorCare, & Midwood. They're always decomissioning Ambulances and maybe able to sell you guys one for cheap or donate it... Good luck... All the best...