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PRINCETOWN
Town to change ambulance provider after cutting stipend
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net.

    Members of the Town Board have selected for-profit Mohawk Ambulance Service to replace notfor-profit Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services Inc., just a week after REMS indicated it would no longer make Princetown calls a priority.
    Board members unanimously chose the Schenectady-based company after representatives agreed to provide an advanced life support rig to the town free of charge. Town Supervisor Melanie Whiteley said the company will dispatch ambulances from Schenectady and will now become the town’s primary service provider.
    “They were willing to help us out,” she said of Mohawk.
    Whiteley acknowledged Mohawk may have to drive longer distances for some calls than REMS, but she said the basic life support ambulances from REMS were sometimes dispatched from the company’s Cardiff Road facility, which is just as far away as Schenectady.
    “Response times will be pretty close to REMS,” she said. “Actually, it’s a better service because the [advanced life support] is available.”
    REMS’ board of directors sent a short missive last week informing the town that the company could no longer guarantee the level of service it previously provided. The letter indicated the change was “due to economic feasibility.”
    Princetown once paid REMS an annual stipend of $32,000, but the line item was removed from the town’s 2011 budget. Whiteley said the town offered to pay REMS $8,000 per year for the service as a reflection of the level of calls the company answered in Princetown.
    REMS countered by asking for a $22,000 annual stipend. Whiteley said this amount still seemed high, considering that the town of Rotterdam is provided the same service free of charge. .......................>>>>....................>>>>...........http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01500&AppName=1

Good for Princetown.....Rotterdam needs to rethink their ambulance service....someone has money missing....WHO????

Voters did not prevail in this one...

This is a democracy????   just wait....more is coming from the new REGIME

Looks like Tony J couldn't peddle his persuasion in his own district.  Let's see how he punishes them as County Legislator.  I’m sure this won’t go unpunished.  These hyper political first responders are vindictive son’s a bitches.

Couldn't TJ Hooker and Harry change their minds?

How is REMS going to make up the $32K in lost guaranteed revenue?  Keep your eyes on the Rotterdam Agenda shortly after the 1st of the year.  I'm sure there will be REMS coming hat in hand for more money.  Might want to take a look and the ALS receipts also, make sure those aren't getting skimmed by the REMS.  

A company that was virtually bankrupt, can now suddenly survive without a taxing district that was so dire, and without the unknown amount of ALS money it was allowed to collect, and the $100K subsidy the Tommasone Admin granted, and NOW loses $32K from Princetown.  If REMS is still operating, I suspect something fishy is going on.  It's the Rotterdam way.

Follow the money.

Princetown, as well as other communities, seem to be more on the ball aka SMARTER....than rotterdam!!! They will have one of the best ambulance services and it won't cost the taxpayers a DIME!!! What a concept, huh?

The poor rotterdamians are still waiting for their $100K reimbursement for their als service!! I predict that come January 1st.....rems will be begging for taxpayer's money and this administration will hand it over to them!!

SHOW ME THE $$ TRAIL........

Mohawk ambulance treats their employees like crap. They get paid $10 an hour with no benefits for 90% of their employees, they work their drivers 24 hour shifts in a row, this is why they are so cheap to hire. They take advantage of their workers who are true heros and would probably work for nothing just to help their community. Pretty sad how messed up our society is that we take advantage of people like this.

Funny my nephew and neice (in law) have been there for several years - they tell a completely different story, about wages, and how good a company it is to work there.  He told my wife they got a sizable Christmas bonus too.

Quoted from A Better Rotterdam

Pretty sad how messed up our society is that we take advantage of people like this.

Why don't they quit?  Kinda odd statement.  You make it sound like they are slaves.  

Maybe if the industry was less regulated the workers could start their own ambulance business and compete against Mohawk.  But as we know, ambulance service is a racket.

Quoted from CICERO

Why don't they quit?  Kinda odd statement.  You make it sound like they are slaves.  

Maybe if the industry was less regulated the workers could start their own ambulance business and compete against Mohawk.  But as we know, ambulance service is a racket.

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHA....NOT IN NYS....HAHAHAHA....the lawyer capital of the world...the "oh my, they need to do something about such and such, blah blah blah." cry a$$ state.....

NYS is comparable to Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors......

Mobile, perhaps your relatives are in management positions, the guys and girls in the trucks do not get a bonus, and the pay is $10 an hour. The best part of this, is they are unionized! Their union works hand in hand with management to supress their staff- the complete opposite of why they are there. Retailiation runs rampant for those that speak out, therefore the continual poor treatment continues. Ciero you make good points, there is so much regualation that it is hard for someone to start a new competitor and you end up with a near monopoly situation.

Quoted from CICERO

Why don't they quit?  Kinda odd statement.  You make it sound like they are slaves.  

Maybe if the industry was less regulated the workers could start their own ambulance business and compete against Mohawk.  But as we know, ambulance service is a racket.

fear based.....completely fear based...

Quoted from A Better Rotterdam

Mohawk ambulance treats their employees like crap. They get paid $10 an hour with no benefits for 90% of their employees, they work their drivers 24 hour shifts in a row, this is why they are so cheap to hire. They take advantage of their workers who are true heros and would probably work for nothing just to help their community. Pretty sad how messed up our society is that we take advantage of people like this.

Funny but I know many many many folks who work for mohawk and I have never heard anything negative from them. For those who are disgruntled....perhaps they can quit and join rems.....yes? Hell, they can get jobs anywhere in the healthcare industry for that matter!