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Second Fulton County Ambulance Service Closes

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Two ambulance services in Fulton County, New York have closed in 2019.

On Tuesday, Duane Abbott, president of the Johnstown Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps, or JAVAC, announced that the service had officially closed its doors.

Abbott wrotein part:

“I would like to send my sincere gratitude to the community for supporting us for many, many years and to the amazing staff that played an intricate role right until the final days of JAVAC’s existence. No matter what time of day or night, rain, sleet or snow, they arrived on scene prepared for whatever the challenge might be. I hold them all close to my heart.”

Abbott said as the company struggled with financial difficulties, the staff, board, and donations from the community kept the service going.

In February, another company, the Ambulance Service of Fulton County, was abruptly shuttered after it struggled with financial difficulties and a decrease in service calls.

After ASFC closed, county emergency officials met to put together a plan for existing ambulance companies to provide service in the ASFC territory. The state Department of Health temporarily relaxed territory rules to make that happen.

Johnstown Mayor Vernon Jackson praised the work of county officials.

“As far as what happened when they stopped, I have to credit the County Emergency Management Staff for the fast action that they put into place to get this county covered with ambulance services, as well as the City of Johnstown. It was amazing how they divided up,” said Jackson.

Mayor Jackson calls himself was a supporter of JAVAC, but said the company was sinking financially “quicker and quicker.”  In January, the city put a new ambulance into service. The new ambulance will make up for lost service in the Johnstown area caused by JAVAC’s closure.

“We put the fire department ambulance as the primary responder for the city,” said Jackson.

The Greater Amsterdam Volunteer Ambulance Corps, or GAVAC, is one of the companies that has expanded its coverage. President Tom Pasquarelli said the company has seen no major issues since it began providing more services in Fulton County on February 8th.

“The general public has seen no change in service. If anything, they’ve seen a decrease in response times,” said Pasquarelli.

GAVAC has applied to the state Health Department for a permanent operating license to serve its larger region in Fulton County. About 55,000 people live in the largely rural county of roughly 530 square miles at the edge of the southern Adirondacks.

“Once we receive our permanent license, we can certainly at that point derive a plan going forward. But all calls in Fulton County are answered in a timely manner and we’ll continue to do that,” said Pasquarelli.

Lucas Willard is a reporter and host at WAMC Northeast Public Radio, which he joined in 2011.
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