09/29/2026
Rotterdam EMS – Clarification Regarding Staffing, Mutual Aid, and SCEMS
I would like to address several comments and clarify some misconceptions regarding Rotterdam EMS and our operations.
First and foremost, Rotterdam EMS ALWAYS maintains paramedic-level staffing for the Rotterdam operation. There are times when we staff additional BLS ambulances alongside our paramedic ambulances to increase our available resources.
Our Schenectady County EMS (SCEMS) operation is a completely separate contract, staffed IN ADDITION to our Rotterdam operation. SCEMS does not take ambulances, paramedics, or staffing away from Rotterdam. It actually adds another mutual aid ambulance to the regional EMS system.
Regarding mutual aid, it is important to understand that multiple emergencies frequently occur simultaneously. It is not uncommon for two or three Rotterdam ambulances to be committed to separate emergencies at the same time. When another emergency occurs and there are more calls than available ambulances, mutual aid is activated. This is not unique to Rotterdam; it is how the regional EMS system is designed to function.
I also want to make something very clear: This is not a competition between Mohawk Ambulance and Rotterdam EMS. We are mutual aid partners, we assist each other, and we need each other. The objective should always be getting the closest appropriate available resource to someone experiencing an emergency, regardless of whose name is on the ambulance.
Rotterdam EMS operates a very lean and efficient organization. Most municipalities recognize that maintaining an EMS system requires financial support to ensure ambulances and personnel are available when residents need them. Rotterdam remains one of the very few municipalities that provides no municipal financial support to its EMS provider. Despite increasing call volume and operating expenses, we continue to provide paramedic-level coverage without that support.
For those in the fire service questioning why mutual aid was requested for a particular call, I extend an open invitation: Contact us directly. We would be glad to review the circumstances of any specific incident and demonstrate how our available ambulances were committed to other emergencies at the time mutual aid was activated, while respecting patient confidentiality.
I also want to address the ongoing speculation and accusations being made on social media.
Spreading rumors, assumptions, and information that has not been verified only creates unnecessary tension, confusion, and fear within the very community we are ALL responsible for serving. Whether we represent EMS, fire, municipal government, or another public safety organization, we share a responsibility to provide accurate information and maintain the public's confidence in their emergency services.
There is no hidden agenda. We have nothing to gain by withholding information about our mutual aid responses. We are willing to be transparent and address questions about mutual aid incident by incident, including reviewing unit availability and explaining why additional resources were requested.
What is not productive is making accusations on social media without first seeking the facts. These conversations create division between agencies that depend on one another and unnecessarily concern residents who rely on all of us during their most vulnerable moments.
I certainly understand the concerns of residents who want an ambulance available when they call 911. We share that concern. However, seeing an ambulance from Niskayuna, Mohawk, Guilderland, or another neighboring agency responding in Rotterdam does not automatically mean Rotterdam EMS was improperly staffed or that our resources were being used elsewhere.
Our door is open, our willingness to answer questions is genuine, and our commitment to the residents of Rotterdam has not changed.
We should all be working toward the same goal: a sustainable EMS system that provides timely, professional emergency medical care to the residents of Rotterdam and our neighboring communities.
Constructive conversations, factual information, transparency, and cooperation will accomplish far more than public accusations and division.
