New Ambulance Service Now Underway In Erie County New York

Access to high-quality emergency care that comes quickly when you need it is often a commodity we take for granted. It's easy to forget that not everyone has direct access to firefighters, paramedics, and ambulance service.

Just remember how difficult it was for people all over Western New York to get proper assistance during the great blizzard of 2022. It was nearly impossible to get help from first responders in the city of Buffalo and even more difficult in the rural areas.

Because of several lessons learned, government officials from Erie County are doing something about it.

Erie County Launches New Ambulance Service In Rural Areas

In a press conference, several county government officials gathered to announce the formation of the new county-run ambulance service that will offer coverage in Aurora, Boston, Colden, Collins, Eden, Holland, North Collins, and Wales.

In consultation with the first responder community and healthcare systems, we saw that Erie County could step in and fill in gaps that address transit time and the burdens on our local EMTs and paramedics. I thank the health department for designing this innovative program. It takes into account our community’s unique needs, and incorporates the valuable resources that already exist among our local volunteers and ambulance services.
-Mark Poloncarz, Erie County Executive

The county was able to obtain two ambulances and two fly cars, with more equipment on the way. This equipment will be housed at the Colden Fire Company to start, and as services are expanded, new sites will be added.

These new services will help ensure that everyone can get some emergency services when they call 911.