Published: June 03, 2009 10:26 am      

HELP: Emergency responders honored for hard work, dedication.

BY BRIANNE RICH

Emergency Medical Services Week is a time to recognize the daily efforts of the community’s EMS providers, which include local ambulance services, fire departments and 911 dispatch center personnel.

They attend training continually, keeping their lifesaving skills current with the latest innovations in emergency medicine.

• Capt. Michael Maak is a paramedic and 22-year veteran of the Medina Fire Department

“EMS is a vital public service and we (the Medina Fire Department) are proud of the service we are providing for the community,” Maak said.

“We have been providing services to the Village of Medina and surrounding communities as first responders since 1984, and we have been providing paramedic ambulance services to all of Orleans County since July 2007,” he said. “We have handled all of the calls we have received — some good and some bad. Last year, we had two saves after (providing) CPR; that was a great feeling.”

First Responders from Albion, Barre, East Shelby, F-M-H (Hulberton), Lyndonville, Ridgeway, and Shelby fire companies respond to 911 emergencies in their local communities and provide emergency medical services until the paramedics or ambulance arrives. These first responders are volunteers who contribute their free time to learning lifesaving skills for the benefit of their communities.

• Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance Inc. of Albion provides emergency ambulance services to Albion, Barre and Carlton. Administrator Sue Behrend said COVA has served the community as a non-profit organization since 1979. The company is supported by “donations and third-party billing” for their services.

COVA has approximately 50 members. Some are paid, but most are volunteer. “We pride ourselves in our good working relationship with our neighboring agencies.” Behrend said.

Stan Farone, one of COVA’s founding members, was honored for the “years of dedications” he has provided to COVA. He founded COVA along with five or six other people, in 1979 to fill a need in the communities of Albion, Barre and Carlton. Farone reportedly retired from COVA in April.

“I want to spend more time with my wife and travel, but I will still volunteer for COVA from time to time,” he said.

• Mercy Flight Inc. provides emergency air ambulance service to Western New York with its five helicopters based in Buffalo, Batavia and Olean. Established in 1981, the service has flown more than 17,000 patient missions in the past 27 years.

The helicopters are staffed with a pilot, flight nurse and flight paramedic.

“We fly about 700 missions per year. Summer is our busiest season,” said flight nurse Anne Hedges-Creighton from the Batavia base.

• The Orleans County E-911 communications center is staffed by 12 public safety dispatchers who provide police, fire and emergency medical dispatch services for the entire county. These dispatchers handle all of the 911 calls in Orleans County and communicate with all of the Orleans County sheriff’s deputies, local police officers, fire departments, ambulance services and all state and federal police and homeland security agencies. The dispatchers are all trained and certified in medical dispatching procedures, as well as police and fire dispatching procedures. They attend continuing education training every month. In 2008, the E-911 communications center handled approximately 25,000 emergency 911 calls.

All of these agencies work together in unison to provide the residents of Orleans County with emergency medical services every time 911 is called. Whether they are paid or volunteer, these professionals dedicate their lives to saving our lives.