T-burg EMS staff struggle to meet demand

Joel Fey, Trumansburg native and emergency medical services (EMS) administrator, has spent 18 years responding to emergencies and saving lives. As budget limitations, staffing shortages and resources are stretched thinner and thinner, Fey hopes to address the concerns threatening the health and safety of the residents in the municipality he calls home.

Working in Albany as a critical care ambulance transport paramedic, Fey continued his education and eventually became a certified flight paramedic. When he decided he was ready to explore a new career track, he brought his vast knowledge and extensive skills back to Trumansburg, where he lives with his wife, three children and another baby on the way.

“In order to become a flight paramedic, you must be trained as a ground paramedic,” Fey said. “This includes finishing EMT basic training and completing the accreditation exam. While working as a ground paramedic, you continue your education by attending training courses and receiving as many certifications as possible.”

Additional requirements for a flight paramedic are TNACT-, CCEMTP, ATLS-audit Certification, Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support and Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (tinyurl.com/2jbglxhq).

“People think that EMS is just a vehicle for people to lay down in for a trip to the hospital,” Fey said. “EMS is an emergency room that comes to you and is part of the health care system. It is vital for survival. Available resources and response times are often the difference between life or death.”

EMS provides emergency health care to assist with serious illness or injury and is most easily recognized visually when emergency vehicles or helicopters are seen responding to such incidents.

“EMS is a system of coordinated response and emergency medical care, involving multiple personal and agencies and is a comprehensive system,” Fey said. “Responding to emergency medical needs takes coordination and cooperation between agencies and organizations, both private and public.”

Fey continued.

“This involves communications and transportation networks, trauma systems, trauma centers, hospitals and specialty care centers,” he said. “This system also involves rehabilitation facilities, trained professionals, physicians, nurses and therapists, volunteers, administrators and government.”

Currently, EMS in the village of Trumansburg is contracted to cover 112 square miles. Due to mutual aid agreements, village EMS is currently covering approximately 492 square miles and growing. Covering Ulysses, Covert, Hector and other municipalities, Trumansburg EMS provides lifesaving services throughout multiple counties.

“Covering 400-plus miles with EMS is a monster. Due to mutual aid agreements, Trumansburg actually responds to calls beyond the contracted 112 miles,” said Trumansburg Mayor Rordan Hart. “The question is what services do we believe are necessary — services for quality of life or protection of life?”

Hart explained.

“Law enforcement and the fire department are often recognized, yet in the last 20 years, health care has not been prioritized in an equally equitable way,” he said.

With limitations on ambulances, staffing and budgets, Trumansburg EMS was often called to assist in emergency medical services that back up Ithaca and surrounding municipalities when equipment and services have been exhausted.

“The limitations are a stress to the system due to factors that do not take in the limited resources,” Hart said. “EMS should be evaluated to the same status as the fire and police departments.”

When a medical emergency occurs, regardless of the variety, the phone call to 911 dispatch will be triangulated by landline or cell phone GPS. Emergency services are then dispatched to the location.

“We work closely with Bangs [Ambulance],” Fey said. “It’s a stress system with [many] calls. Residents have become concerned about response times. Trumansburg is the next closest paramedic option. With third or fourth response calls, Bangs calls Trumansburg for backup. This often leaves the residents in our municipality without assistance.”

Fey further stressed how difficult this situation is.

“The limited amount of vehicles and lack of staffing has created an ever-growing dangerous situation that prevents timely access to Trumansburg residents in need of emergency medical care,” Fey said. “We are looking to Albany for assistance with this crisis and solutions to continue to provide lifesaving assistance to the people we represent.”

Trumansburg Connection appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.

In brief:

Fall Book Sale

Ulysses Philomathic Library’s (UPL) Fall Book Sale will take place Sept. 14 through 18 at the library, located at 74 E. Main St. in Trumansburg.

Member Night returns Sept. 14, welcoming current and new members — you can join that night — to kick off the sale from 5 to 8 p.m.

Then, the sale fully opens, running from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 15 and 16. On Sept. 17, UPL joins libraries from neighboring communities — Waterloo, Seneca Falls, Ovid, Lodi and Interlaken — for a “Between the Lakes Book Sale Trail” day, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For the Ulysses Philomathic Library sale, pricing will be pay what you choose. The sale closes out Sept. 18, another pay-what-you-choose day, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information, any questions, or to volunteer, visit trumansburglibrary.org or facebook.com/ulyssesphilomathiclibrary, or email Trustee Rob Montana at rmontana@trumansburglibrary.org.

Nature-Inspired Fiber Workshop

Join quilter Mary Diamond for this three-hour class and create a glorious piece of fiber art that reflects the season. All art materials, including an 8-inch-by-10-inch stretched canvas frame will be waiting for you to create your scene, but you are asked to bring these few supplies: pins, shears and cheerful enthusiasm! Happiness will be this new spot of color in your home!

If you have a portable sewing machine that can be set for free-motion stitching and colorful bright spools of thread, please bring them along. You will be using an iron to fuse materials before adding stitching and may wish to bring along your own iron.

The workshop will be held at the Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts, 5 McLallen St., Sept. 11 from 1 to 4 p.m. Registration is $20, with a $10 supply fee. Register at TCFA.live.