Emergency Services Ambulance

From the Board of Selectmen . . .
TOWN OF CHARLEMONT AMBULANCE, SERVING THE TOWNS OF CHARLEMONT, ROWE, AND HAWLEY, IS IN DANGER OF LOSING ITS LICENSE
Dear Citizens of the Town of Hawley:The Town of Charlemont Ambulance license is currently in danger of being revoked. Without it we will no longer be able to provide ambulance service and the safety of our community will be in jeopardy. The leaders and citizens of the three towns now served by the ambulance (Charlemont, Rowe, and Hawley), need to act soon to prevent this from happening.The principal cause of the problem is a dwindling number of volunteers, which hinders our ability to respond. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS), which oversees ambulance service throughout the state, has raised concerns about the viability of Charlemont Ambulance because of the poor response record. Currently the town is in breach of the State regulation governing the ability of towns to come to the aid of citizens in a medical emergency (Code of Massachusetts Regulations: 105 CMR 170.385, and 105 CMR 170.305).We invite you to join us on Wednesday, May 6 at 7:00 pm at Hawlemont School for an open discussion of our current critical state, the potential effects of losing our license, and the alternatives for meeting the need of our community for ambulance service. We are asking all residents interested in learning more to please join us. It is up to you as the town taxpayer to choose what course of action we take. An Ambulance Task Force, composed of representatives from Charlemont, Rowe, and Hawley has been meeting to examine alternatives and possible costs of meeting our ambulance needs. The recommendations of this task force will be discussed at the meeting. In the meantime please go to Charlemont’s website, http://www.charlemont-ma.us/annoucements/emts-needed, where you can find a message, “EMTs Needed” from Charlemont’s Ambulance Director for our Emergency Service Ambulance. Thank you for your time and consideration of this important matter, — Hawley Board of Selectmen
Updated 05/04/2015