By Lauren Garrison
The New Haven Register
ANSONIA, N.H. — City leaders say they want to make official what’s been a de facto change in how emergency responders operate in the city, given dwindling volunteer numbers at Ansonia Rescue Medical Services.
The Board of Aldermen will soon consider an ordinance that would have the Fire Department take over responsibility for rescue operations in the city, including car extrications, hazardous material situations, and confined space rescues, according to aldermanic President Steve Blume.
According to Alderman Gene Sharkey, who is a member of the Ordinance Committee and chairman of the Fire Commission, the city’s code makes ARMS responsible for rescue operations. But, he said, ARMS now has “really limited numbers showing up when they’re called into action for something like a vehicle rollover or an accident involving extrication. They do respond with their ambulance, but the rescue side of it, they just don’t have the membership to do it.”
According to Blume, Ansonia was recently forced to follow in the footsteps of other area towns and start paying its ambulance staff, who were previously volunteers. He stressed, “ARMS is alive and well. The ambulances are running.” Sharkey said the Fire Department, which has about 120 certified volunteers, has been getting into the rescue business recently. About 50 to 60 of those fire volunteers are trained in rescue, and regularly drill on it, including practicing with ARMS. The Fire Department has also purchased some rescue equipment for its apparatus, Sharkey said.
“We’ve got officers and chiefs and members who are trained in this and certified in it, so we might as well take the responsibility for it,” he said.
Sharkey said the plan now is for ARMS’ rescue equipment to remain at the ARMS building, and be used by the Fire Department for rescue when needed.
As for ARMS rescue volunteers, “What we’re willing to do is accept any of their members into the Fire Department that wish to join us,” he said.
Sharkey expected the Board of Aldermen to take up the proposed ordinance in the next month or two.
“The Board of Aldermen is well aware of the shortcomings presently on the rescue side (of ARMS). They want the best for all the citizens of Ansonia,” he said. “I think we want to move forward for what’s best for all the people that might need our services. We’re still in the discussion phase, but we’re looking forward to moving. We just can’t continue to go the way that it is.”
Blume stressed, “This was something that had to be done. There’s no volunteers. That’s the bottom line here. It was just necessary to be done.”
He acknowledged, “I’m sure there’s some bad feelings down there (at ARMS), and I hope they aren’t. Everybody’s welcome to come (to the Fire Department). It will be Ansonia fire and rescue. They don’t have to join the Fire Department. They can be on the rescue side of it.”
Alderman Jerome Fainer, who is chairman of the ARMS Commission, said some ARMS members feared they were “getting railroaded out.” But he said he explained to them that they will have an opportunity to be absorbed into the Fire Department.
“I guess they’re pretty much on board,” he said.
Fire Chief Michael Eheman said, “We’re treading delicately,” and “we’re going to do everything we can to try to make it an easy transition.”
“It’s unfortunate the way things are flowing with this. ... It’s not like we were looking to do this. This was something that was proposed to us when (ARMS) got in dire straits down there. It’s a much larger duty that we’re going to be encumbering on the Fire Departmentthat we haven’t done over the years. We’ll do whatever we need to do to make sure the citizens of Ansonia are protected,” he said.
A representative from ARMS couldn’t be reached for comment.
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