Berkshire Mall Hosts EMS Expo This Saturday

Patrick RonaniBerkshires Staff
05:30PM / Wednesday, May 12, 2010Print Story | Email Story

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Looking for something to do this weekend? Shop for shoes, then watch a car excavation.

The Emergency Medical Services of Berkshire County will be holding its EMS Expo this Saturday at Berkshire Mall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event kicks off National EMS Week, which officially begins on Sunday and recognizes the live-saving services provided by EMS workers on a daily basis.

Local EMS providers will be scattered throughout the common areas of the mall, proving information on their line of work while also conducting CPR demonstrations. In the space previously occupied by Old Navy, there will be car excavation demos throughout the day.

There will be two ambulances stationed in the mall, and the public will have access to the vehicles' various functions. Fire trucks provided by the Pittsfield and Savoy departments will also be located in the parking lot, offering the public an opportunity to see what it's like to board the massive apparatuses.

"We're excited to show the community what the EMS service is all about," Shawn Godfrey, operations manager of Village Ambulance Service in Williamstown, said. "Getting exposure to the public is important."

The expo is geared to people of all ages. Whether it's a child eager to see the inside of a fire truck, a teenager interested in pursuing a career in medical services, or an adult looking for a detailed explanation of their local EMS providers, the expo will cater to all visitors.

While Godfrey stressed the significance of informing the public about EMS, he said there also will be plenty of in-house festivities to mark the week.

"The idea is to educate the public, but at the same time to recognize the people who do it every day," he said. "We'll purchase lunch for employees during the week, and everyone will receive a gift."

On the night before the expo, the Emergency Medical Services Committee (EMSCO) of Berkshire County will have its annual awards and dinner banquet at the Elks Hall in Pittsfield.

On Sunday, North Adams Ambulance Service will host an open house from 11 to 3 at its headquarters on 10 Harris St. The event will offer activities for children and a cookout for anyone interested.

For more information on National EMS Week, visit here.

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If people don't know what EMS does, I suggest they crawl from underneath the rock they have been living under. Maybe Godfrey and the rest of EMS management should inform the public how little they pay EMT's while they reap massive profits from BS non-emergency transfers. The best is, listen to a scanner and see how many times Village is unavailable for an emergency call because they are taking a patient from Sweetbrook to NARH for a non-emergency doctor's appointment! During this, they won't staff the ambulance base with a crew who can handle a 911 call. When you need an ambulance for a real emergency, they have to call North Adams.
from: Public Safety Insider	on: 05-13-2010 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

Public Safety Insider: The last time I checked, people REQUIRING transportation from a nursing home to a doctor's office are human beings too. Are you suggesting that these patients aren't worthy of an ambulance because they didn't call 9-1-1? How else will they receive treatment? I think you should rethink your outlook as a "Public Safety Insider" or get a new hobby that involves you knowing what you're talking about.
from: EMS Manager	on: 05-14-2010 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

LOL! great answer!! I would expect nothing less from a management position response and I thank you for not disappointing me. However, your comeback is severely flawed. On the contrary, I do believe that people who don't dial 911 are in fact worthy of treatment. However, I don't believe a non-emergency transfer should take priority of a 911 emergency which happens countless times. The failing of private ambulance services is they need that high priced transfer to stay in business. EMS rolls the dice with people's lives by not properly staffing the base while handling the money making transfers which by far outnumber the 911 calls. EMS not being supported by a tax base creates this dangerous scenario. Never is the Fire Department unable to respond to a call for service because they are filling a swimming pool (and being paid a large sum of money for it.) Never is the Police Department unable to respond to a call for service because a police officer is working an off-duty detail for Verizon (which is why it's called "off-duty.") An ambulance service priority should always be 911 emergency calls. If you want to put on a true honest EMS expo, let the public know when they call 911 for a heart attack, stroke or serious injury, they may not get an ambulance because the on call crew is out of service bringing someone to a non-emergency doctor's appointment from a nursing home. Sounds like it's the nursing homes problem, not the ambulance service as to how they get there (I know what you're going to say. My answer, the nursing home should invest in a vehicle able to transport the patient!) Village's motto "40+ EMT's 24 hours a day." My A%#, you people have a difficult time getting a second crew under normal circumstances. (ie: call the cops or fire department for a lift assist!! Where are the other 38EMT's including Burt and his high paid position????? Exactly!)
from: Public safety Insider	on: 05-14-2010 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

Public Safety Insider:Didn't your mom ever teach you that if you don't have anything nice to say don't say it at all. Village Ambulance has many wonderful people who work at the establishment and are very caring and wonderful teachers. You give a bad name to Ems for being so negative when all Ems no matter who they are should work as a team!!!! You may need a new career path!!!!
from: The Good Witch	on: 05-18-2010 12:00AM I Agree (1) - I Disagree (0)

Lanesborough Zoning Board Welcomes New Member

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
03:27PM / Wednesday, September 02, 2026

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. – The Zoning Board of Appeals has some new faces.

Last week, the Zoning Board met to restructure its board.

William Matthiesen was elected Chair. He is stepping in following the resignation of Mark Seigars after a heated ZBA meeting in February.

Gwen Miller was welcomed onto the board after being elected from the select board the day before. Chair Deborah Maynard had said she previously worked with Miller on the Planning Board.

"She is a very, very smart woman who is up to date on all the laws and everything else that goes around," Maynard said.

Miller said she wanted to volunteer for the town, but she is no stranger to working with the town. She moved to Lanesborough in 2017 to raise her kids and was recently serving as Chair of the Planning Board.

She has also served on the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission's regional issues committee for the town.

According to her LinkedIn, she has much experience with town planning, recently working with the town of Lenox as their land use director and town planner.

She said she hopes to bring a nice attitude to the board.

"Just an even keel, a polite demeanor and some objectivity."

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