Schenectady Co. approves new mutual aid partnership with Rotterdam EMS

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Schenectady County Legislature passed a resolution on Tuesday to enter a Mutual Aid Ambulance Agreement with Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services (REMS). The proposed agreement would add a paramedic-level ambulance to the county.

According to the legislature, the partnership comes amid a "sharp rise" in emergency mutual aid requests throughout Schenectady County. Although the overall amount of EMS calls have remained about the same, officials said, the increasing calls for assistance from neighboring departments has strained the area's already limited ambulance and EMS resources.

"The growing need for mutual aid has created a domino effect -- when a department responded elsewhere, it can leave its own area without coverage," said County Legislator Anthony Jasenski, who is also the chair of the EMS and Firefighting Committee.

The proposed added ambulance, which would be staffed by one paramedic and one emergency technician, would be on service during peak call volume hours -- 8 a.m. through 8 p.m. -- 365 days a year. The legislature said the additional resource would "reduce reliance on mutual aid, shorten ambulance response times, and improve patient outcomes."

"This initiative enhances coverage during peak hours, provides a flexible response to service gaps, and reinforces the county's existing EMS framework, ensuring that help is available when someone calls for an ambulance," Schenectady County Legislature Chair Gary Hughes said.

Despite the legislature's promises for improved emergency medical service coverage, the United Professional & Service Employees Union Local 1222 expressed concerns about the county's proposed agreement with REMS. The labor union, which represents over 800 emergency medical service providers in the Capital Region, claimed that Rotterdam EMS struggles to adequately respond to emergency calls within its town, and will not be able to keep up with the demand of the rest of the county.

"With about 4,000 calls annually, 8-8.5% of all EMS calls in the Town of Rotterdam go to mutual aid — the highest in the county. Meanwhile, other unionized ambulance providers in the area are responding to quadruple the number of calls with an approximate 99% response rate," said union member Daniel Schuttig. "Despite state financial assistance, EMS services in the town of Rotterdam continue to face serious challenges to its sustainability, casting doubt on the ability of non-union EMS providers to provide sustainable emergency medical service care to other parts of Schenectady County."

The labor union also disapproved of the county contracting a non-union service like REMS, arguing that the decision opened the possibility for poor working conditions.

"Unionized employees work under a contract -- providing far more sustainable working conditions than non-union providers. In matters of public safety, quality and dependability are non-negotiable," Schuttig said. "We strongly urge county legislators to reconsider this decision in the interest of protecting our community’s health and well-being."