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.

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

Greylock Youth SummerFest

Come join in on the wealth building fun! August 3-8. Click for event details. Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Your Comments

iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.

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 Finance Appoints Baker Hill Road District Liaison

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
10:21AM / Sunday, August 30, 2026

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. – The Finance Committee elected a new chair and heard updates on the Baker Hill Road District during its meeting earlier this month.

Lyndon Moors was elected as chair of the committee again and David Parks as Vice Chair, which was previously held by Juli Baker before she joined the select board.

After Baker left, the committee needed to find another member to replace her. The committee received two applications from Al Terranova and Mark Siegars. Both were invited to the meeting, but Terranova was the only one in attendance.

Terranova is not a stranger to the town's committees, as he previously held a position with the finance committee for 10 years and five years on the school committee, saying it was the best 15 years of his life.

The opposition is only for one year until the next June to have a vote; he says he has no intention of being on the committee for three years but thought it was great to help in the interim.

The board was grateful for two applications of two strong candidates and made a recommendation to the select board, who approved at Monday's meeting.

Moors spoke about his new role on the BHRD and what his priorities are after taking over for member John Goerlach.

He said he wants to prioritize lowering the BHRD’s budget, be more transparent with the town, including updating the website and meeting minutes, and to keep the district as an asset to the town.

"I think the most important thing is really the preservation of the district as an asset both to the town and to a sincere property developer. I think it can be an asset to both, and it was set up that way in 1989 to manage the bond payments on the road and to be a liaison between the town and [former owner Pyramid Companies] at the time. I think it has a place in the future," Moors said.

The board commended the need for more transparency.

"I think a lot of people don't even know what the road district is or what it does, and so the idea of getting rid of the road district being a way to, 'Oh, we're finally going to save money because we don't have to pay the road district anymore.' I've had someone come and say that to me, and I was like, no, that's not how it's ever been. The town has not ever ever paid the road district, so there's definitely some education, community education pieces needed," member Kristen Tool said.

Moors said lowering the budget will hopefully lessen the tax burden on their tenants.

"The reason why it's important to lower the Baker Hill Road District budget, just as it would be important to lower the town budget, is that the taxes they levy on their tenants are simply based on their budget," Moors said.

Moors also brought up helping with communication between the boards and representing them at their meetings to help lower the budget, if someone from the finance committee would be a liaison with the BHRD. The liaison would help answer questions such as: what does the town really need from BHRD versus what it has historically taken?

Member Vera Farrell volunteered to be the liaison, saying she is new, with no prior ties, and feels she can bring a fresh, neutral perspective.

View Full Story