Eric Byers is the Cazenovia Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps (CAVAC) president, and he sent this letter detailing the CAVAC ambulance district. It also describes just what CAVAC is and what it does, and why they need volunteers. Please read it!
At CAVAC's request in 2004, the Town Boards of Nelson, Fenner, Pompey and Cazenovia each passed resolutions resulting in the creation of the CAVAC Ambulance District. The funds collected from the District's establishment help CAVAC provide 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Advanced Life Support service. The CAVAC Ambulance District only funds the cost of paying part time paramedics and some of the supplies used by those paramedics. The funds do not cover anything else, and there is a whole lot more required to run an ambulance service.
Depending on their level of training, the medical crew on an ambulance can administer basic life support (BLS) or advanced life support (ALS) with the latter requiring a medic or paramedic on board the ambulance. An ALS certified crew member can administer more treatments to help a patient than a BLS certified crew member is permitted to administer.
At CAVAC's request in 2004, the Town Boards of Nelson, Fenner, Pompey and Cazenovia each passed resolutions resulting in the creation of the CAVAC Ambulance District. The funds collected from the District's establishment help CAVAC provide 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Advanced Life Support service. The CAVAC Ambulance District only funds the cost of paying part time paramedics and some of the supplies used by those paramedics. The funds do not cover anything else, and there is a whole lot more required to run an ambulance service.
Depending on their level of training, the medical crew on an ambulance can administer basic life support (BLS) or advanced life support (ALS) with the latter requiring a medic or paramedic on board the ambulance. An ALS certified crew member can administer more treatments to help a patient than a BLS certified crew member is permitted to administer.
The training to become a paramedic takes about two years, and considerable ongoing training is required to remain certified. While CAVAC benefits from a handful of volunteers possessing ALS certification, providing the community with 24 hour, all volunteer ALS coverage is virtually impossible. There simply are not enough volunteer medics or paramedics. Several years ago CAVAC started paying for part time, experienced paramedics. We requested and use the Ambulance District funds to pay the paramedic's wages and some of the supplies used by those paramedics. We pay one paramedic per shift except for a few shifts each week that remain covered by a volunteer medic or paramedic. We do not use the Ambulance District funds for anything else.
What else is there? A lot. At the top of the list would be CAVAC's two ambulances and the equipment and supplies used in those ambulances. Ambulances and emergency medical equipment are highly specialized and tend to be quite expensive, and the fuel to run the ambulances has recently become very expensive too. CAVAC is also responsible for the radio equipment at CAVAC base used to communicate with Madison County 911, the ambulances, and CAVAC members. CAVAC base itself is another major expense. While the Village of Cazenovia provides the structure (roof and walls), the entire contents of the building are CAVAC's responsibility. The standby power generator outside the building is visible, but less noticeable are the heating and air conditioning equipment. Yes, CAVAC crews need to be comfortable, but many of the medical supplies have very strict storage requirements. CAVAC pays the utility bill for the gas and electricity used to run those systems. With round the clock crews, the crew room and dispatch office suffer tremendous wear, and like any living space require ongoing repairs and maintenance. CAVAC's base also contains the business office which means office equipment including computers, telephones, secure filing cabinets and a copier. CAVAC must carry insurance on the ambulances, property, volunteers and the paid paramedics. This all adds up, and the Ambulance District funds are not used to pay for these items.
Where does the money come from to cover these costs? The answer remains the same as it has been for well over three decades. CAVAC's existence depends on receiving money from donations, patient billings, and grants.
CAVAC continued existence also depends one other invaluable resource, our volunteers. Yes, volunteers! The paid paramedics fill only one crew position on one of CAVAC's two ambulances. When the first ambulance responds to a call, the crew includes at the minimum a paid paramedic, and a volunteer driver, but frequently a volunteer EMT and a CAVAC Student Corp member respond too. When the primary ambulance responds to a call, a volunteer dispatcher at CAVAC Base quickly identifies another crew to standby for the second ambulance. The second ambulance always responds with an all volunteer crew. This process occurs any time, day or night, every single day of the year with no exceptions permitted for weekends, holidays or bad weather. In September of this year, CAVAC responded to 59 calls, in August over 90 and we are currently over 70 calls ahead of the same time last year. All of CAVAC's administrative duties are also filled through people volunteering their time. Collectively, this adds up to an enormous amount of volunteer time. For 2004, CAVAC members gave 28,805 hours of their time. The result of all this volunteered time means the cost for CAVAC to respond when help is needed is less than the cost of a for profit ambulance service.
Please consider volunteering with CAVAC. Drivers, dispatchers and medical crew are always needed and training for dispatchers and drivers is provided at CAVAC.
Serving this community is a privilege for the women and men of CAVAC, and the community's support of CAVAC through donations and the Ambulance District is sincerely appreciated.
Eric K. Byers
President
CAVAC