Small Massachusetts Town to Lose Ambulance Services

Ambulances play an important role in our everyday lives 24 hours a day, 7 days week including holidays. Not only does it create jobs, it makes those types of people who work as paramedics not only as true heroes but to help serve those in need in that particular community medical emergency situations. Without those immediate services, it becomes a life-or-death situation.

What Massachusetts town could be left without an Ambulance department?

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We turn to Adams Massachusetts where Adams Ambulance Services will shutter its operations at the end of the year after 50 years in service. iberkshires.com reports that the service had indicated in September that a deficit of more than $200,000 was endangering its ability to continue its services to the community. Social media blew up with posts by employees on Friday that they were informed about the closure.

Adams officials stated that all three communities have been talking and "have been coordinating with Northern Berkshire EMS to assume EMS operations in our communities. A transition plan is in the works to ensure continuity of emergency medical services." Northern Berkshire EMS says it's committed to working with the towns on a transition plan, but this will require more staff to expand its coverage.

"We have been very transparent in all our meetings with the towns and AAS that we would need additional staff to bolster our response capabilities," "Furthermore, when we met with AAS and they confirmed on Dec. 31, 2023, they would cease operations, we encouraged them to have their employees apply to our agency so we could begin the onboarding process. "Unfortunately, we were not advised this announcement was coming this past Friday."

 

-  Paul Ethier, president of Northern Berkshire EMS

Adams Ambulance's board had stated back in August in a memo that "increasing expenses and limited revenues" were affecting the service's ability to function. The nonprofit was established back in 1970 to fill a gap left by the closure of Martin's Ambulance Service, which was a private entity that ran for 41 years. It has covered the towns of Adams, Cheshire, Savoy and, more recently, the town of Hawley which is the only town that pays a subsidy for the service.

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