BILL NUMBER: S8180

SPONSOR: LITTLE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to permitting
Essex county to establish a special district for emergency medical
services and general ambulance services

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would authorize Essex County to establish a special district
for emergency medical services, general ambulance services or a combina-
tion of both.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the general municipal law by adding a new subdivision 6
of section 122-b to allow Essex county to establish a special district
for the financing and operation of general ambulance services or a
combination of such services.
              

Section 2 establishes the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Article twelve or twelve-A of the Town Law governs the requirements to
form a special improvement district. Presently, a town board or village
board of trustees may establish a joint fire district, when the territo-
ry in the joint fire district is contiguous. This restriction creates
difficulty for districts in rural communities or those with unique
geography such as waterways or mountains, as transportation networks can
be limited and response times unavoidably delayed. This difficulty has
led to difficulty obtaining volunteer crews, as each individual crew
member can be required to cover more territory and put in more hours
than in other areas of the state.

According to the New York State Department of Health, a 2013 analysis
showed that the average scene to destination time throughout New York
State was 13.16 minutes. However, in Essex County, the response time was
25.55 minutes. These delayed response times pose a great threat of
saving lives, protecting property and encouraging the recruitment and
retention of volunteers in Essex County. It is at a crisis level.

This bill, requested by the Essex County Legislature, seeks to improve
the quality of emergency medical services in Essex County and encourage
recruitment and retention of volunteers to ensure the protection and
well-being of all local residents.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the State.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act would take effect immediately.