The village of Hilton and northern Parma will be losing access to rapid advance life support ambulance services at the end of this year according to Hilton Fire District. HFD has had an ambulance on standby for call in the village since 1936. The Hilton Fire Department was the first fire department in Monroe County to sponsor a volunteer ambulance service more than 80 years ago. The department suspended the volunteer ambulance and moved to an ambulance company that was stationed right at the Fire Department 24 hours a day, seven days a week beginning in 2017. The fate of the residents having a housed local rapid response ambulance will be decided in the next few weeks by the Village.
CHS Mobile Ambulance has been renting space to house an ambulance at the Hilton Fire District to be in immediate response range to answer calls for Hilton and north Parma residents. CHS is a local nonprofit mobile healthcare organization. In order for them to continue providing a rapid response, advanced life support dedicated ambulance 24/7 they are requiring a contract from the district to cover their operating expenses. Recently, a proposal was made requesting to create a village tax district to fund the community’s dedicated ALS ambulance like what is already being done in south Parma in conjunction with Ogden and Spencerport. A proposal was presented to the Village Board Trustees (see graphic) that would cost $457,132 annually. This would include keeping a dedicated ambulance 24/7 at the Fire Hall for rapid response times for life/death calls, an insurance deductible discount, Lift Assistance services, community event ambulance standby services, blood pressure services, CPR training, and other community services. The contract would cost the average homeowner less than $6 a month for these life saving services according to John Lemcke. The Hilton Village Trustees voted to not create this tax district but utilize the services of regional ambulance services from Monroe Ambulance. (See the statement issued by the Village on this page.)
“Immediate response saves lives,” said John Lemcke. He has worked in the Hilton Fire District for 47 years and has been Fire District Commissioner since 1995. In his nearly 50 years of experience, he has seen critical calls have life saving outcomes thanks to having an ambulance that arrives on scene in two minutes. “Allergic reactions, cardiac arrest, strokes are all emergencies that require immediate response, or it can be a matter of life or death,” said Lemcke. He recalls cases just in the past month where it took Monroe Ambulance 25 minutes to come to a call in the village in cases when the village ambulance was out on a call. According to Hilton FD Ambulance Utilization logs there have been 1,228 calls since the start of the year, an average of 136 calls per month, and the majority of those calls have been in district. “For less than six dollars a month per household we can keep an ambulance in our community to respond to these lifesaving calls in minutes,” said Lemcke.
The Hilton Fire District is encouraging residents to come to their information meeting to learn more about the fate of emergency medical services in their community. “We want the best for our residents, and we are doing our best to provide that,” exclaimed Lemcke.
The information meeting on this impending cancellation of the local ambulance service is Wednesday, October 26, 7 p.m., at the Hilton Fire Department, 120 Old Hojack Lane. The Fire Department is asking residents to attend this critical meeting to learn more about this before the finalization of the vote by the Village Board on November 1.
Statement from Hilton Mayor Joe Lee
The Village of Hilton is having an informational meeting about the continuation of ambulance service at Quest Elementary, 225 West Avenue, on October 24, 2022, at 6 p.m. Both Village and Town officials will be present to answer questions. We encourage you to attend.
There has been a lot of misinformation circulating about this issue, so here are the facts:
Fact: Hilton does not have a community ambulance, nor do we have a volunteer ambulance. The Fire Department abolished the Hilton Volunteer Ambulance in 2018 and arranged CHS to be the provider.
Fact: EMS/ambulance services do not fall in the Fire Department’s jurisdiction – it is the Town and Village. The Fire Department should have turned it over to the Village/Town when they abolished their services.
Fact: Monroe Ambulance, the proposed company, is the largest provider in our area. The Village will monitor their performance monthly.
Fact: On average, our ambulance service receives 1 to 3 calls in the Village/Town every day.
Fact: CHS wants the Village and Town to fund their current deficit (approx. $250,000).
Fact: If the Town and Village agreed to a tax district, CHS would receive up to $800,000 per year from the tax district plus the amount that they bill the taxpayer for the ambulance service.
Fact: CHS has declared they will leave Hilton on December 31, 2022, if the tax district/subsidy is not approved.
Fact: It is too late to setup a tax district for 2023, the deadline was mid-October. CHS and the Hilton-Parma Fire District did not approach the Village Board until August 2022 with their proposal. This timeframe was simply not long enough for the Village Board to act because of the required advertising window and the need to hold at least one public hearing.
Fact: Monroe will sign a contract with the Village with no subsidy (no tax district). The only payment would be from billing the individual and their insurance company for the ambulance service.
Fact: Monroe Ambulance was the Hilton-Parma Fire Volunteer Ambulance’s ALS resource for years before HPFD disbanded in 2018.
Fact: The Hilton-Parma Fire District is creating panic in the community that is unnecessary.
Fact: The Village must adhere to our procurement policy and go out to bid/proposal to make sure we are getting the best service and cost for our residents.
Please join us for our informational meeting on October 24 at 6 p.m. – 225 West Avenue – Quest Elementary. (See advertisement on page 5.)
Joe Lee, Mayor
Village of Hilton
