The consolidation of operations between the Spencerport Volunteer Ambulance (SVA) and the Gates Volunteer Ambulance Service (GVAS) announced late last week will, “be a very positive thing for the community, for volunteers, for employees and for patients,” SVA president Bruce Jones says.
The two community-based volunteer ambulance services plan to consolidate their operations following receipt of all regulatory approvals some time in the first-half of 2014.
The move is designed to benefit the communities each organization serves through improved service and response times, Jones says.
“We’ve been working on this for over a year,” Jones explained. “Gates and Spencerport are the first to do this. We believe this consolidation represents the future for volunteer Emergency Medical Services agencies. Consolidating while we are a strong non-profit agency enables us to ensure the continued existence of volunteer Emergency Medical Services in the communities served by Spencerport Volunteer Ambulance. Consolidating will allow us to increase the number of calls responded to by the combined organization by approximately ten percent. Additionally, the combined agency will allow us to provide more timely service to the outlying communities we serve.”
Residents in the extreme southeast portion of SVA’s district can be covered by GVAS – which has its headquarters at 1001 Elmgrove Road – closer to those Ogden residents than the Lyell Avenue SVA station, Jones says. Likewise, the SVA will be able to cover calls in the extreme northwest portion of the Gates district as residents there are closer to the Lyell Avenue station than the two stations in Gates.
“The joining of the two agencies means there are three different bases and that will allow the quickest response to patients,” Jones says. The Gates Volunteer Ambulance Service also has a station at 1600 Buffalo Road.
A public informational meeting on the consolidation is planned for Thursday, January 16 at 7 p.m. at the Ogden Town Hall.
Jones says the meeting is open to all – including members of other agencies.
He says he understands that some community members may have concerns over the consolidation, but he emphasizes that the SVA will continue as it always has.
“A local, community-based volunteer ambulance service is important to have in the district,” he says. “This will not change.”
Under terms of the consolidation worked out during negotiations, GVAS is obligated to keep the Spencerport Ambulance Station on Lyell Avenue in the village open.
“We will be putting money into the base,” Jones says, including remodeling and adding amenities.
Gates Volunteer Ambulance Service must also maintain an advanced life support (ALS) ambulance in Spencerport, Jones says.
He notes the consolidation will allow the SVA to have two ambulances available at the same time, instead of one.
Call volumes continue to rise, Jones says, and currently the SVA is able to cover 86 percent of those calls. With the consolidation, the SVA will be able, to “put up an additional ambulance to cover additional calls,” Jones says, and bring call coverage up to 96 to 97 percent.
Additional benefits include programs for residents like car seat clinics which provide new car seats at no cost and guidance for parents on how to install them; blood pressure clinics and presentations in schools.
Employees and volunteers will also receive better benefits.
For example, Jones explains that SVA volunteers who are eligible, will be able to take part in a program that GVAS currently offers, providing volunteers in not-for-profit organizations with retirement benefits.
Kevin Sura, president of GVAS says, “This consolidation will benefit both of our organizations as it will allow us to provide a more patient-centric approach to providing services. With volunteerism trending down in communities across the country, we believe volunteer ambulance companies will pursue consolidations as a means of preserving the community-based Emergency Medical Services desired by their communities.”
Spencerport Volunteer Ambulance responds to the needs of more than 19,000 residents in the Village of Spencerport, Town of Ogden and the southern quarter of the Town of Parma covering 36.6 square miles. In 2013, SVA received 1,604 calls – an average of 4.4 calls per day. GVAS services nearly 30,000 residents in the Town of Gates and responds to nearly 6,000 calls annually, officials say.
Spencerport Volunteer Ambulance has two ambulances, an advanced life support (ALS) response vehicle, and an ALS crew available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. GVAS has five ALS ambulances and two advanced life support response vehicles.
On the personnel side, SVA has 26 paid employees and 13 volunteers. GVAS has nearly 115 volunteers and 65 career staff, its own training personnel, and conducts its own training. Employees and volunteers of both organizations will be offered more scheduling opportunities, officials say. The members of SVA and GVAS will also have opportunities – if they choose – to work outside their current coverage areas.
Spencerport Volunteer Ambulance has been in service since 1966; GVAS was founded in 1964 and this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. It has grown significantly over the past five years and is noted for its strong infrastructure and volunteer base.
Includes information from a press release
