Westchester Mutual Aid Coordinators

[SteveOFD 176]

Westchester County has posted until 2/25/08 job listings for Mutual Aid Coordinators - Westchester County Fire & EMS Mutual Aid Coordinators. Scroll down for descriptions.

[TL2L31 8]

Westchester County has posted until 2/25/08 job listings for Mutual Aid Coordinators - Westchester County Fire & EMS Mutual Aid Coordinators. Scroll down for descriptions.

Is this for a battalion? If so which and what area?

[SteveOFD 176]

Is this for a battalion? If so which and what area?

The posting does not state a Battalion. According to Westchester Co. Fire Apparatus list 1/08 Battalions 12 & 19 do not have Mutual Aid Coordinators listed, so it is probably one of them. Unknown which EMS Battalion needs to be filled.

Edited February 19, 2008 by SteveOFD

[jack10562 414]

I heard that Tony Bosco, Car 12, is retiring/retired.

Why Batt 19 is not shown on the Apparatus list is beyond me.

The DES/Fire Services website Battalion list shows Deputy Coordinator Car 19 as Robert Magnotta.

Oh, and thanks Steve, for the updated Apparatus list!

[SteveOFD 176]

I heard that Tony Bosco, Car 12, is retiring/retired.

Oh, and thanks Steve, for the updated Apparatus list!

Tony Bosco has retired, this is why you will hear Battalion 10 - Jerry Munson covering B12 area. I check the County site every couple of months for the apparatus updates.

[mpgfire93 4]

what does a ems coordinator exactly do?

[EJS1810 7]

what does a ems coordinator exactly do?

Coordinate EMS maybe?

[firecapt32 282]

The Coordinator is notified of any mutual aid fires in the Battalion and is expected to respond to the location if the mutual aid departments go to work. The Coordinators are the eyes and ears of the County, they are there for the Department having the fire --to get additional mutual aid - to the scene or to cover quarters--the C&O team, what ever the Department needs or wants. They are there to assist the Incident Commander so that the IC can concentrate on the fire and run the incident. The Coordinators have a direct radio conection to 60 control ( the batallion trunk radio) so it makes communication easier. One les thing the IC needs to worry about.

Hope this answers some of the questions.

I believe there is one opening in Batallion 12

[louis 1]

For $2,500 a year to be EMS Mutual aid Coordinator or Fire Coordinator you can keep it. When I saw the posting of the job and saw how much you get paid. I thought it was a type-o. And thats before taxes.

[TL2L31 8]

Its basically a part time job.

[ja3kfd 34]

I understand you also get paid for mileage

[x648eng119 2]

The EMS coordinators are supposed to do the same as the fire coordinators, just on the EMS end - such as MCIs and such. It's not a full time job, just something on the side, like the fire coordinators. They do get paid for mileage to incidents they respond to.

Right now there are 3 EMS coordinators that I know of:

Mark Bamblautt - Peekskill Area

Mike Liverzani - Mamaroneck Area

and I forget the woman's name, but the other coordinator is the Armonk area

Edited February 22, 2008 by x648eng119

[ckroll 101]

The EMS coordinators are supposed to do the same as the fire coordinators, just on the EMS end

Actually, no. New York State law limits what EMS coordinators can do, and it's not much. Law limits it to training activities. Coordination or regulation of delivery of services is not permitted.

OSC Opinion 89-52 says in part:

PUBLIC HEALTH LAW, §§3000, 3051, 3052: A county may establish the position of emergency medical services coordinator provided that the responsibilities of the position are limited to the coordination and facilitation of training activities and do not extend to the coordination and regulation of the actual delivery of ambulance services within the county. 1987 Opns St Comp No. 87-55, p 83 is clarified.

[INIT915 1,119]

Actually, no. New York State law limits what EMS coordinators can do, and it's not much. Law limits it to training activities. Coordination or regulation of delivery of services is not permitted.

OSC Opinion 89-52 says in part:

PUBLIC HEALTH LAW, §§3000, 3051, 3052: A county may establish the position of emergency medical services coordinator provided that the responsibilities of the position are limited to the coordination and facilitation of training activities and do not extend to the coordination and regulation of the actual delivery of ambulance services within the county. 1987 Opns St Comp No. 87-55, p 83 is clarified.

CKroll,

You have cited a OSC Opinion, not a NYS Law. OSC Opinions, generally, much like AG Opinions are not binding. "Opinions issued to the municipal attorney are denominated "informal" because it is ultimately the responsibility of the municipal attorney to provide advice to the local government."

Do you know of any actual law? I did a quick search and could not find any. Can you direct us to a more authoritative link?

[ckroll 101]

CKroll,

You have cited a OSC Opinion, not a NYS Law. OSC Opinions, generally, much like AG Opinions are not binding. "Opinions issued to the municipal attorney are denominated "informal" because it is ultimately the responsibility of the municipal attorney to provide advice to the local government."

Do you know of any actual law? I did a quick search and could not find any. Can you direct us to a more authoritative link?

My understanding is that if you want better than OSC you need to find it on a stone tablet. OSC is as good as I've got.

[ckroll 101]

My understanding is that if you want better than OSC you need to find it on a stone tablet. OSC is as good as I've got.

That said, the full text is more informative.

AMBULANCE SERVICE -- Regional Coordination (establishment of county office to coordinate training)

COUNTIES -- Powers and Duties (power to coordinate training of emergency medical service providers)

LOCAL LAWS -- Preemption (county coordination of emergency medical service training)

PUBLIC HEALTH LAW, §§3000, 3051, 3052: A county may establish the position of emergency medical services coordinator provided that the responsibilities of the position are limited to the coordination and facilitation of training activities and do not extend to the coordination and regulation of the actual delivery of ambulance services within the county. 1987 Opns St Comp No. 87-55, p 83 is clarified.

This is in reply to your letter concerning the establishment of the position of emergency medical services (EMS) coordinator for a county. You indicate that the county is contemplating the appointment of an EMS coordinator who would be responsible for the development of a "formal quality assurance program", the development and coordination of EMS training, the coordination of continuing education for EMS providers and others, and the recruitment of volunteers. You inquire whether the county may establish such a position.

This Office has previously expressed the opinion that a county may not establish an EMS coordinator and advisory board to coordinate the activities of volunteer ambulance corps within the county (1987 Opns St Comp No. 87-55, p 83). At issue in our earlier opinion was a proposal for the establishment of a system for the coordination of ambulance services modeled on the county-wide mutual aid programs for fire and other public emergencies authorized by section 225-a of the County Law. Under that section of the County Law, a county may create a county fire advisory board and the office of county fire coordinator to develop and maintain programs for fire training, fire service-related activities and mutual aid in case of fire and other emergencies. It was, and remains our conclusion, that no existing statute authorizes a county to establish a program for the coordination and regulation of the actual delivery of services of private volunteer ambulance corps as may be done for fire services in mutual aid programs authorized by County Law, §225-a and that a county's home rule powers relative to the regulation of emergency medical and ambulance services have been pre-empted by the Legislature's enactment of Article 30 of the Public Health Law. It also continues to be our opinion, as discussed in Opn No. 87-55, supra, that pursuant to the provisions of General Municipal Law, §122-b, a county and other municipalities in thecounty may coordinate the delivery of services of private volunteer ambulance corps by entering into joint agreements with these corps and including appropriate provisions relative to the coordination of the delivery of services.

We note, however, that while we believe that the conclusions reached in Opn No. 87-55, supra, are still valid with respect to the coordination and regulation of actual delivery of services, the role of the EMS coordinator described in your letter appears to be quite different from that discussed in the earlier opinion. As outlined in your letter, the EMS coordinator would not be responsible for coordinating or regulating the actual delivery of ambulance services. Rather, the EMS coordinator in your county would facilitate the training of EMS providers and others, disseminate information to EMS providers, and assist in the recruitment of volunteers.

Under Article 30-A of the Public Health Law, the Legislature recognizes "...a need to provide flexible, diverse and high quality training opportunities which are reasonably available, particularly to volunteers who devote considerable time, effort, and often personal resources, to improve or retain their knowledge and skills" (Public Health Law, §3051). To this end, section 3052(3) of the Public Health Law requires the Commissioner of Health to provide, upon request:

. . . management advice and technical assistance to regional emergency medical services councils, county emergency medical services coordinators, and course sponsors and instructors to stimulate the improvement of training courses and the provision of courses in a manner which encourages participation. Such advice and technical assistance may relate to, but need not be limited to the location, scheduling and structure of courses. (Emphasis added)

We believe that the Legislature's recognition that a county EMS coordinator may have a role in training EMS providers necessarily implies that counties are authorized to establish the position of EMS coordinator with responsibilities with respect to the coordination and facilitation of training activities (see also 10 NYCRR 40-1.52[1] indicating that the coordination of emergency medical services program activities and training programs is eligible for State aid reimbursement when such coordination is specifically identified in the county public health services plan approved by the Commissioner of Health).

In light of the foregoing, it is our opinion that the county may establish the position of EMS coordinator provided that the responsibilities of that position are limited to the coordination and facilitation of EMS training activities and, in the absence of a joint agreement pursuant to General Municipal Law, §122-b, do not extend to the coordination and regulation of the actual delivery of ambulance services within the county. In this regard, we note that it is not entirely clear what would be entailed in the EMS coordinator's development of the "formal quality assurance program" referred to in your letter. We caution that, based on the policies and purposes the Legislature has set forth in the Public Health Law, it is our opinion that the county would be pre-empted from unilaterally establishing and enforcing training standards or equipment and communication standards for EMS providers (see Public Health Law, §3000; see also Opn No. 87-55, supra).

Opn No. 87-55, supra, is clarified to the extent it suggests that a county may not establish the position of EMS coordinator to coordinate and facilitate EMS training activities.

December 15, 1989

Mr. Dominic Mazza, County Administrator

Livingston County