The Albany County Town of Guilderland is celebrating a new emergency medical service station.
Station Three is in back of the golf course near the corner of Routes 20 and 146 near the center of the Albany County town’s EMS service area. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, town senior paramedic supervisor Bonnie-Jean Johnson says the new facility is already saving lives.
“Our average response time is about seven minutes. So this is actually a very good station. For example, we did have a call over on Carman Road, and we were on scene in three minutes,” Johnson said.
Johnson says that person was in cardiac arrest, and a person’s chances of survival drop by about 10 percent for every minute that’s happening.
Station Three responded to more than 50 calls in its first week.
Johnson adds, with three bays and a radiant heating system, the new station is much more modern than its counterparts. She says it’s a welcome complement to new power lift systems and power stretchers in town ambulances, noting it’s back problems, not old age, that typically mark retirement for paramedics and other emergency service workers.
To make the station more comfortable for workers with unpredictable schedules and long wait times, the station features a full kitchen and living area furnished with large recliners.
“We want it to feel like a home, because we want our staff to feel comfortable again. Mental health is one of the important things that we consider with our staff,” Johnson said.
According to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data, Albany Medical Center’s emergency room average wait times are the longest in the state.
Guilderland paramedic supervisor Alex Downey says the new station feels well-equipped.
“It’s got a space to cook food, to work on the vehicle; make sure it's clean and ready and stocked. It's got a little office area so you can be separate from your partner while they're watching TV, if sometimes we have to do paperwork,” Downey said.
Downey says the new facility also serves an important backup role for any of the town's ambulance stations.
“This unit that's stationed here can respond to a call in any of the four zones, and it allows us to equalize our response times to better cover our entire area.”
Guilderland Police Chief Dan McNally is the town’s former EMS Director. He says the new station will benefit all emergency responders.
“This location is fabulous, with the two access points to major roadways, we work very closely with our EMS department, with training, Narcan administration. We're always working with EMS. We're always on their calls,” McNally said.
State Assemblyman Phil Steck applauded the town’s emergency personnel. The Democrat from the 110th district says Guilderland's support for EMS services serves as a model for the rest of the state.
“Guilderland operates efficiently and gets the resources in the field; they get more money than others who are leaving millions of dollars on the table. So we're very pleased to contribute to Guilderland EMS,” Steck said.
Guilderland EMS employs more than 40 paramedics, EMTs, and command staff.
