As reported by News10 abc, Capital District Ambulance has been bought out by Mohawk Ambulance Service.  One of the issues with this however is that EMTs and employees of Capital District are reporting that they had little to no advance notice, and were suddenly left without a job.  According to the report by News10, the Assistant Chief of Capital District Ambulance was notified by his superiors on short notice to terminate all of his employees due to the takeover.  Specific details and comments on behalf of the takeover and regarding the EMTs can be found through their report.

I have to say, reading through the report, I felt extremely disheartened.  I understand that whole 'business is business' thing.  And there's always two sides to a story.  But as someone who works as a nurse full-time, has been in emergency rooms and in life-or-death situations, I have the utmost respect for first-responders.  I see people after they get brought to the hospital.  First-responders? They see them right there, in the moment, in horrible, heart-breaking, and at times dangerous circumstances.  They do transports, sometimes with dangerous and very medically compromised patients.  All of the EMT's that I know work long exhausting hours, often times for not a lot of financial compensation.  So the idea of anyone who devotes themselves to being an EMT or first-responder suddenly being shafted and out of a job?! My heart absolutely goes out to them.  And the idea of taking someone out of the work force- even temporarily while they have to reapply for a job- who is actually willing to work those long exhausting hours and care for people in the way they do?  To me that's unbelievable.  Here's to hoping that something gets sorted out.

 

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