New Mohawk Ambulance Garage Opens
by Doug La Rocque
Since the Mohawk Ambulance Service announced last year it planned to build a new garage on McChesney Avenue in Brunswick many had hoped it would be at least a partial solution to the ambulance availability problems for eastern and central Rensselaer County. The answer is yes and no. Mohawk President James McPartlon III told The Eastwick Press during last year’s Brunswick Planning Board meetings on the garage, the new facility would replace the one in Troy, and during the daytime hours, some of the ambulances that are now housed in Brunswick, would actually be stationed around the Capital District to provide rapid response to the areas they primarily serve. During the overnight, all ambulances would be housed in the new station, and if not out on a call somewhere else, could also respond to the rural portions of the county.
The Eastwick Press has well documented the ambulance concerns in these rural areas, between the Berlin Fire Department discontinuing its ambulance, and the difficulties such towns as Grafton, Petersburgh and Stephentown have forming a crew, particularly during the daytime hours, considered 6 am to 6 pm. Grafton, Berlin and Petersburgh are in the process of attempting to provide a paid daytime crew Monday through Friday, but it remains a work in progress.
Brunswick Town Supervisor Phil Herrington recently released a letter to town residents about the new garage. In it, he states “this is, indeed, excellent news for the residents of Brunswick and our neighboring towns and communities as well. Having the capability to house and deploy as many as eight ambulances at any given time will greatly expand Mohawk’s ability to provide ambulance service and enable it to more quickly respond to emergency calls within the town and at times throughout rural Rensselaer County.”
Several years ago the Town of Brunswick agreed to provide a garage location with crew housing facilities for one ambulance, but with the understanding that ambulance could be called upon to respond to emergencies anywhere in the area, and was not dedicated solely to the Town of Brunswick.