Spencerport Volunteer Ambulance
receives two needed gifts

The Spencerport Volunteer Ambulance received two needed gifts recently. The Spencerport Rotary purchased a Pulse Oximeter, and the state granted the station $22,000 to put toward the purchase of a first response vehicle.

The Pulse Oximeter retails for about $600 and is used to analyze the amount of oxygen in the blood. The machine sends signals through the finger, toe, or earlobe in a non-invasive manner to assess the respiratory need of the patient.

Jeff Tewksbury, director of operations for Spencerport Volunteer Ambulance, said the Rotary’s gift was a nice surprise. "They’ve always been there to support our operation, but this is the first time since I’ve been here that they have approached us," he said.

The second gift, in the form of a grant, will help the station replace its current first response car, which is a 1992 Crown Victoria with more than 100,000 miles and what Tewksbury described as a serious rust problem. Paramedics and EMTs use the first response car to get to the scene before any other emergency vehicles arrive. The vehicle is climate controlled so that it can transport all of the necessary emergency medical supplies.

Spencerport Volunteer Ambulance encourages those on call to take the car home with them. This helps to improve the response time and is intended to increase the number of hours of coverage by paramedics. Currently paramedics cover about 30 hours per week. Tewksbury said Spencerport is still looking to build on its advanced life support system that began in 1994.
"We want to provide the best possible care that we can through the use of technology," said Tewksbury. "Pre-hospital care (treatment on the way in) may cut hospital stays significantly," he said, adding that this type of care is especially crucial for patients with heart problems.

Tewksbury said the two gifts will be a big help, but the Spencerport Volunteer Ambulance is still in critical need. Unlike the fire department, the ambulance station does not receive any tax dollars. The ambulance receives money each time it transports a patient to the hospital, which is about 500-600 times per year in Spencerport.

"The funds that we are currently obtaining (through transporting patients and other means) are not enough to keep up with what we will need down the road," said Tewksbury, adding that there is also a volunteer shortage. "We’re under a serious, serious manpower crunch."

Tewksbury said there are many non-medical jobs available at the base for those who are interested.