County Ambulance announces two major developments

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The Training Division of County Ambulance has achieved accreditation from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Office of Emergency Medical Services (MDPH-OEMS), allowing the return of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training to the Central and Southern Berkshire County area. This type of training has been absent in the area since the state DPH began requiring accreditation for training institutions in 2005. County Ambulance has also announced that it will be the exclusive provider of chaircar and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) transportation for the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA). The BRTA initiated a request for proposals to provide the service earlier this year, which resulted in inquiries from throughout the county. County Ambulance was selected from among four transportation vendors who submitted proposals to be the sole provider of para-transit service for the BRTA. The Massachusetts DPH instituted the accreditation process to ensure that emergency medical technician training conducted in Massachusetts was of a quality and consistency that ensure competent EMTs are certified. This process also ensures training institutions continually evaluate the quality of their training and seek ways to improve the training provided. Accreditation is valid for three years at which time a revaluation of the training institution is performed. “Accreditation by Massachusetts DPH set a high standard for EMT training and we are extremely pleased to have earned this accreditation,” said Brian K. Andrews, President of County Ambulance and Training Program Director for the ambulance service. “This accreditation means the return of long absent EMT training in the Central and Southern Berkshire area, which has been a stumbling block to the infusion of new EMTs into our system and which has especially impacted volunteer ambulance services.” The Massachusetts DPH examines resources, processes, outputs, and outcomes of a training institution as part of the evaluation process. Accreditation involves an extensive application process that includes the review of the many documents and policies that an institution must have in place. The evaluation process culminates with an on-site visit by a team from the DPH who meet with staff and evaluate training materials, including equipment, while also conducting a review of the training process. County Ambulance will immediately institute training programs and has announced the first such program, EMT-Basic for November 2, 2006. Interested applicants should call County Ambulance at 413-499-2527 or visit the office at 175 Wahconah St. in Pittsfield. “The accreditation process was only the beginning,” said Andrews “We will be constantly be striving for improvement and will be looking to be the leaders in emergency training in the region to drive that effort.” In regard to the paratransit services for the BRTA, County Ambulance had contracted with the transit agency for over twenty years to provide these services with multiple vendors. “The demand for this service has exploded in the last twenty years and the BRTA felt there was a need to contract with one vendor to better manage the cost while maintaining high quality service,” said Andrews. Proposals received by the BRTA were evaluated by a committee that included BRTA Advisory Board Members and representatives from area organizations serving people with disabilities. Based upon established criteria, the evaluation committee selected County Ambulance as the firm with the most qualified proposal. Evaluation included review of an extensive proposal detailing how County Ambulance would provide the service as well as an oral presentation by Andrews and members of his management staff. “As a leader in transportation services for our special needs population in Berkshire County, our service was already providing the majority of transports for the BRTA and with a high rate of quality. I am greatly pleased that the BRTA has selected County Ambulance as the sole vendor of this important service,” said Andrews. As a result of the exclusive contract with the BRTA, County Ambulance has significantly invested in new equipment and personnel. The company recently purchased five new chaircars to provide the increased number of transports that are required. County has also added four full-time and two part-time staff and may add additional full-time personnel as the program continues to expand. County Ambulance is a locally-owned and family operated ambulance service in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The company has been in operation since 1982 and is currently the largest provider of both ambulance and chaircar service in the Berkshire County area.
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Pittsfield's Crosby/Conte Proposal Nearing Designer Selection

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The proposal to rebuild Crosby Elementary School and Conte Community School as a combined facility on West Street is advancing to design.  

On Tuesday, the School Building Needs Commission approved a draft request for services for the Crosby/Conte project and created a designer selection committee to guide the next actions.  The Pittsfield Public Schools are seeking up to 80 percent reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority for the build. 

Skanska USA Building Inc. was approved as the owner's project manager in early April.  An OPM is a hired consultant who oversees a construction or design project in the owner's interest. 

The next step is to select a designer for the new building; a draft request for services is due to the MSBA by May 14. Applications are due to the district on July 1 and to MSBA by July 9, to be reviewed on July 28. 

"My hope is that we can move the process as quickly as possible, meeting the first deadlines that become available," Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said. 

The commission appointed seven members to the designer selection committee, including a superintendent's designee, Mayor Peter Marchetti, and co-Chair Frank LaRagione. They will review proposals, about 6-10 are expected, and interview the top three designers. 

School officials in 2024 toured the 69,500-square-foot Silvio O. Conte Community School, which opened in 1974, and the 69,800-square-foot John C. Crosby Elementary School, which opened in 1962. At Conte, they saw an open concept community school that is not conducive to modern-day needs, and at Crosby, they saw a facility that was built as a middle school and in need of significant repair. 

Last month, a statement of interest for repairs to Pittsfield High School was approved. 

Priority areas identified for an SOI to the MSBA Core Program are for the replacement, renovation, or modernization of the heating system to increase energy conservation and decrease energy-related costs, and replacement or addition to obsolete buildings to provide a full range of programs consistent with state and local requirements. 

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