Reprinted from 2/01/06 article from MIddletown Press ~

Residents OK Ambulance Service

HADDAM - A Portland company hired Tuesday by approval of residents during a town meeting will provide two emergency medical technicians, who will be stationed at the Haddam Volunteer Ambulance Service headquarters from 6 a.m. through 6 p.m. on week days.

According to the contract, Emergency Resource Management will be paid $60,417 to have two Emergency Medical Technicians at the Haddam Volunteer Ambulance Service building on Route 81 during the week through June 30.

Haddam can leave the contract after it gives a 30-day notice.

The two ambulances owned by the service will be used by the company's EMTs, who will be working at times when the volunteer service has found it difficult to provide response to calls.  Many of the service's 14 volunteers work outside of Haddam during the day.

"The ambulance corps daytime staffing was an issue of concern," said Scott Stoppa, service president.

Stoppa, who spoke to First Selectman Tony Bondi about the situation in December, also said it is hard to find volunteers.

"We do not have people stepping up," said Stoppa.  "And our call volume is going up."

All but a handful of people who attended the meeting said they supported hiring ERM.

Stoppa said ERM was chosen over Hunter's in part because the Meriden company would not permanently station EMTs in Haddam.

Hunter's, he said, proposed placing ambulance personnel in Haddam that could respond to calls outside of Haddam.

Bondi said Hunter's spoke highly of ERM.