Honor Skaneateles Ambulance Service

Senate Resolution No. 1990 BY: Senator DEFRANCISCO CELEBRATING the 50th Anniversary of the Skaneateles Ambulance Volunteer Emergency Service (SAVES) WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon the State of New York to recognize and honor those outstanding institutions within our midst that have made significant contributions to enhance the overall quality and safety of life herein; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and fully in accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor and recognize the Skaneateles Ambulance Volunteer Emergency Service (SAVES) upon the occasion of its 50th Anniversary, to be celebrated with a community dinner on Saturday, May 20, 2017, at the Skaneateles Country Club; and WHEREAS, Prior to 1965, ambulance service in Skaneateles was provided by two local funeral directors, who used hearses equipped with a cot, small oxygen cylinders, and basic first aid supplies to help treat patients in their community; and WHEREAS, Due to costly operations and State regulations, these two individuals, B.J. O'Neil and Leonard Dell, decided to stop providing ambulance services in January of 1965; and WHEREAS, Skaneateles then relied on the Skaneateles Fire Department Rescue Squad and Auburn Memorial Hospital Ambulance Service until

January 23, 1967, when the Mayor of Skaneateles appointed a committee to review ambulance services in Skaneateles; and WHEREAS, After several public hearings with the Greater Baldwinsville Ambulance Corps (GBAC), the committee made the recommendation to create an independent organization for providing ambulance services in Skaneateles; and WHEREAS, After months of planning, SAVES elected its first slate of corporate and operational officers on September 7, 1967, and over the next few months volunteers were trained in basic and advanced first aid; and WHEREAS, A permanent home was found for SAVES, after an old cabbage barn owned by the Village of Skaneateles, behind the main fire station on Fennell Street in the Village, was turned into a single ambulance bay and lounge area; and WHEREAS, On November 24, 1967, SAVES responded to its first call by transporting a patient who needed oxygen to the Community General Hospital; and WHEREAS, December 28, 1967, was the official start date for SAVES, but the organization had already completed 13 calls to date; and WHEREAS, In April of 1968, SAVES received its tax exempt status as a non-profit organization, and in one month's time, SAVES had already answered more than 100 emergency medical calls; and WHEREAS, Today, SAVES staffs at least one Advance Life Support (ALS) ambulance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a second full ambulance which can be staffed when needed as well as a Medic Car; and WHEREAS, The primary response district for SAVES is that of the Skaneateles Central School District, though SAVES also renders mutual aid to surrounding ambulance districts, and provides emergency and non-emergency transports, stand-bys at fires, special event EMS coverage, flu clinics and community education; and WHEREAS, SAVES provides a variety of emergency medical and community services to the citizens and visitors of the Town and Village of Skaneateles and surrounding areas that include emergency medical response and education; and WHEREAS, The success of any institution is based on the dedication of its staff and volunteers, and the outstanding members of SAVES have devoted countless hours to enhance the safety and well-being of the residents and visitors of Skaneateles; and WHEREAS, Under the leadership of Executive Director Jeff VanBeveren, the members of SAVES recognize that the preservation of life is a sacred responsibility, and they make that responsibility their own by sacrificing time with family, and by continuously advancing their training and knowledge to better serve their fellow citizens; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to honor and recognize the Skaneateles Ambulance Volunteer Emergency Service (SAVES) upon the occasion of its 50th Anniversary; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Jeff VanBeveren, Executive Director of SAVES.