Local and state officials welcomed the Town of Pelham’s new ambulance at a ceremony Wednesday morning in the public library parking lot. But before a new Pelham ambulance service can get started, the town council needs to conclude an agreement by Jan. 1 with the Eastchester Volunteer Ambulance Corps to provide crews for the rig, while also finding a location to house the vehicle in Pelham.

“We have made significant progress” on a contract with Eastchester EMS “but a contract has not yet been finalized by the parties,” said Town Attorney Tom Kleinberger, who confirmed the ambulance, which is owned by the Town of Pelham, will be based somewhere in town, with the location still to be determined.

The $450,000 needed to purchase the emergency vehicle came from Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and state Sen. Nathalia Fernandez out of discretionary funds they can use for projects in their districts, Michelle Sterling, a spokeswoman in Paulin’s office, said Wednesday. Pelham Town Councilwoman Maura Curtin “knowing that there was a possibility of state funds being available, and wanting to obtain an ambulance for the benefit and safety of Pelham residents” reached out to Paulin and Fernandez “to obtain funding for the ambulance,” said Sterling.  “As a result of her reach-out, initiative and followup, this ambulance is in Pelham today.”

Paulin and Fernandez were both on hand for the unveiling of the new vehicle, along with Curtin, Pelham Town Councilwoman Kara McLoughlin, Town Supervisor Dan McLaughlin and Deputy Town Supervisor Rae Szymanski.

For more than a year, the town board has been exploring ways to replace Pelham’s contract with Empress Emergency Medical Services for ambulance calls in the town because Pelham officials were unhappy with response times. There were also complaints from residents about delays in getting ambulances to seriously injured people. Pelham’s contract with Empress runs out at the end of the year. The council voted a year ago to send out a request for proposals for a new ambulance service.

The issue came to a head when the town board called an emergency meeting to discuss the death of a Village of Pelham Manor resident on May 18, the 14 minutes it took to get an ambulance to the man’s house and to provide an update on the council’s efforts. At the time, Szymanski, the town councilwoman who is responsible for Pelham’s EMS fly car and spearheaded the RFP effort, said the town budget couldn’t be changed in the middle of the year to begin a new service and funds needed to be included in the 2024 budget. At that meeting, she described ongoing discussions with the Eastchester ambulance company. Since then, a county ambulance has been based near Pelham to assist with demand, while the town board started taking steps in October to approve an override of the state tax cap to accommodate the cost of an expected contract with Eastchester EMS.

Eastchester would also take over running the EMS fly car, which Empress currently bases in Pelham to provide one paramedic at scenes to provide emergency medicine. The fly car can’t transport patients.

The new vehicle was purchased from Specialty Vehicles/AEV in East Farmingdale.

“I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to provide Pelham with the funding to purchase this new state-of-the-art ambulance,” said Paulin in a press release. “As a result, the town is now equipped with a dedicated ambulance—improving emergency service response time, safeguarding residents’ health and enhancing the quality of life in Pelham.”

Fernandez said, “We understand the importance of swift and reliable services during emergencies, and this investment will directly enhance the safety and well-being of our residents.”

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