Canton Rescue Sends Crew as Mutual Aid to NYC

Sunday brought one of the biggest snow storms to hit the northeast in recent years. One of the biggest areas to get hit was the City of New York. Heavy snowfall accumulated blocking streets, making it nearly impossible for Emergency Services personnel to perform their job. By monday the City of New York had declared a State of Emergency requesting assistance from the entire State of New York for emergency services, specifically Emergency Medical Services. St Lawrence County was requested to supply ambulances with EMS crews to respond to New York City to assist FDNY EMS for at least one 12 hour shift. Along with Ogdensburg Volunteer Rescue Squad, and Massena Volunteer Rescue Squad, Canton Rescue Squad sent Ambulance 132 along with two EMT's and a driver. Among the Canton Crew, AEMT-CC's Mark T Dalton, and Eric Walraven, as well as 2nd Assistant Fire Chief Matt McGregor who would be driving in the City.

A-132 was to meet up with an FDNY EMT at FDNY EMS Station 20 at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. Once linking up with the FDNY EMT, 132 was ordered to stage at the corner of Pennsylvania Ave and Linden Ave in Brooklyn. EMS in Brooklyn had had reports of some 200 plus EMS calls backed up because of the weather conditions that made travelling to calls near impossible. As soon as the Canton Crew had reached their staging spot they were dispatched to respond to a possible Haz Mat incident where 132 had encountered what FDNY EMS had been encountering all weekend, snowed in streets, which made it near impossible to reach certain incidents. The Radio chatter did not quit as FDNY dispatchers were running non stop with various emergencies rangin from EMS calls, motor vehicle accidents, and a few working structure fires in Brooklyn alone. Through the night 132's crew would respond to multiple EMS calls in the Burrough of Brooklyn transporting a multitude of patients working with FDNY EMT's and Firefighters.

Overall there was a good reception for the responding volunteers from all over New York State by FDNY Emergency Personnel as they were happy to have some help catching up on EMS calls. We would like to thank FDNY EMS for their gracious hospitality and the people of the City of New York for putting up with us out of towners.