Croton EMS Seeks More Volunteers

Croton EMS, a volunteer organization, is trying to recruit more members as it’s been hit with the widespread problem of decreasing membership experienced by emergency medical services. As of the end of July, it has 40 volunteers, but an acceptable minimum would be 60. 

“The time commitment is huge,” said Dick Nagle, emergency manager director for the Village of Croton. “There’s 180 hours of training for an EMT. There’s about 40 hours of training, maybe, for a driver. Then there’s a commitment to respond to the calls.” 

Now, the goal is to recruit enough volunteers to have a membership of at least 100 medical responders. The village's Board of Trustees has approved a budget of $16,500 for Croton EMS to use in its recruitment efforts.

Mark Dickey, 1st Lieutenant of Croton EMS, is chairman of the group’s Recruitment and Retention Committee. 

“The number one reason why people volunteer is the ability to make a difference,” he said. “When you can say you have saved lives, that’s a really big thing to say. Not many people out in the general population can truly say that. “

Dickey said the funding will now be used toward revitalizing its membership, including for items approved in a budget outlining costs for advertisements, banners, yard signs and more. He first intends to find people who know how to recruit effectively.

In a press release regarding the group’s expansion, “areas for involvement include brand management, public relations, print and digital marketing, social media, graphic design, web design, team building, and management.”

Village Trustees also approved a short-term Inter-municipal Agreement with Mid-Hudson EMS district in July. Ever since, a paid EMT from Mid-Hudson has been working with Croton EMS Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. That agreement will expire at the end of October. 

“Having one paid person on duty doesn’t mean that we’re going to be able to get the ambulance out,” Nagle said. “We still need the volunteers from Croton EMS. They’re a vital part to this whole plan.”

Nagle expects another Request for Proposal will be submitted in October, which would expand the paid person’s coverage to 24 hours a day.

He explained when the paid person is on duty, the average response time to an emergency is six minutes. On nights and weekends, that increases to between 12 and 13 minutes. When calling for mutual aid, and outside, it goes up to 20 to 25 minutes.

“If you’ve got a critical care patient that needs help and they’re waiting for 25 minutes, that’s unacceptable,” Nagle said. “If we can get all of our responses within the five to six-minute range, we’d really be doing well. We need more volunteers to make that happen.”

The recruitment committee is hoping Croton residents will step up. But no matter how many or how few volunteers, Dickey would like to reassure residents Croton EMS won’t disappear.

Said Dickey, “It’s both our moral obligation as the organization, and it’s our legal obligation to provide emergency medical services to the residents.” 

To get in touch with Mark Dickey about joining Croton EMS's recruitment effort, you can e-mail him at mark@bestweb.net or call him at (914) 271-4500 ext. 201. And to join Croton EMS, you can e-mail membership@crotonems.org.