Fresh to the Fleet
Fresh to the Fleet
Ellicottville-Great Valley Ambulance Service Unveils New Ride
Chances are the person reading this has had a trip or two in an ambulance for one reason or another. (I, myself, once fell off a porch and cracked a couple ribs on the way down.) You call 911 and they dispatch a local crew to pick you up with their flashy lights to take you in. But what is the background behind those crews? Where do those ambulances come from to serve the community members in their times of need? Buckle up… we have a story for you.
On Sunday, February 5, EllicottvilleNOW was invited, along with board members and crew from both Ellicottville and Great Valley, to attend the new ambulance reveal for the Ellicottville-Great Valley Ambulance Service by President Steve Ward. (Steve has been the president for over 25 years!) This is the first time the company has gotten a new emergency vehicle since 2014 and Steve wanted everyone who was interested to come and take a look at the new machine before it begins its service.
“We are a non-profit organization,” Ward said. “All of our funding comes from insurance billing; we do not use any municipal funds. This is the first ambulance we’ve been able to purchase without needing to take any loans. Our insurance billing funds also cover our equipment and gear. Our goal is to take whatever we make and put it directly back into our company.”
“We now have 3 ALS ambulances and one ALS flight car,” he continued. “The flight car is important because it can provide quick care and bring much needed help to a scene or to another company when they need extra hands. Our new ambulance, like our other ALS versions, has a state-of-the-art gurney loader and defibrillators amongst other necessities to save a person’s life.”
Two of those ambulances are currently stored in the Great Valley Firehall and one in Ellicottville’s, but that changes based on calls/needs. The newest ambulance actually took awhile to reach the company, as they experienced manufacturing delays due to the onset of Covid-19. After a long two year hiatus, it has arrived!
Jack Rogan, the first instructor of the company (way back when it began in 1972), was all smiles at the meet-and-greet event, sharing the story of how he was one of the co-founders with Dana Fitzpatrick way back when. Laura Finnigan, Great Valley’s Ambulance Captain, was on-hand to explain how calls work. “We provide the ambulance and equipment to the EMTs and firemen who get called out to emergencies. Our staff here maintains the vehicles and equipment to make sure it’s clean and ready for use and the department that’s been called out, drive and handle said equipment we provide.”
Everyone at the ambulance company is a volunteer; there are no salaried employees. Currently, in regards to emergency staff, they have 7 active ALS personnel and 25 EMTs and drivers. Ward informed us that “the biggest problem we’ve always faced is the lack of volunteers for the company. The training, while not extreme, does require a level of attention and time that most people aren’t interested in pursuing. There are new requirements, restrictions and expectations that are different from 10, even 5 years ago. We can always use new members.”
Finnigan did let us know that while beginners do have to take the initial courses in-person, those who just need to re-certify can actually use the internet to put in their 40 hours and be all set from home.
So if you are looking for a position that allows you to help people, this is a great opportunity! You can reach out to President Steve Ward at 716-474-7297 for better guidance on the path or just any questions about the ambulance service you may have. But we recommend volunteering if you are able, because if we run out of volunteers… who you gonna call?