Wolcott Supervisor: “Response time is not in a good place,” solutions needed to help rural first responders

Wayne County has one fewer ambulance service, and it has officials in communities like Wolcott concerned about the future.

“First response time is not in a good place,” Supervisor Lynn Chatfield said Monday on FLX Today.

The issue has been studied in the past, but the recent news that Sodus Town Ambulance was ceasing operation put an even greater strain on volunteer services in Wayne County.

He noted declining population trends, along with an inability for many residents to participate in volunteer firefighting due to intense training expectations laid out by the state, has created an unsustainable situation.

“We received a letter on September 1 that September 11 would be Sodus Town Ambulance’s last day in service,” he explained. The news will have surprised many residents, but for the small emergency response agency- it came down to funding and people. “They said, ‘We don’t have the money and we don’t have the people’,” Chatfield continued.

The area will now be covered by other agencies, including the County’s new ambulance service, which only came online a couple months ago. “The county has hired another crew to cover,” he added.

Check out our full conversation with Supervisor Chatfield, about his re-election campaign and more by following the link below or clicking on the video player LIVE at 6 p.m..