Who We Are
The Saratoga County EMS Council is a dynamic, non-profit organization that speaks as one collective voice for Emergency Medical Service Providers in Saratoga County, New York. Since 1979, the EMS Council has fostered a progressive EMS system. Through training programs, coordination of services, recognition of accomplishments, and continued development of new and better services, the Council protects and preserves the health of Saratoga County residents and visitors.
Council membership consists of three dozen active members representing EMS providers, Civil Defense, Public Safety, Public Health, Fire, Police, Hospitals, Physicians, Emergency Nurses, general public and consumers. Auxiliary members are appointed to represent industry, business, health departments, government and other bodies not represented in the active membership. Council activities include sponsorship of EMT, Certified First Responder (CFR), defibrillation, Emergency Medical Dispatch, CPR, and continuing education training courses for EMS personnel. Mass Casualty Incident planning and drills, recognition of EMS volunteers and departments, development and maintenance of EMT and Paramedic radio communications systems, Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), and overall coordination of EMS is handled by the Council.
The EMS Council also operates a Biological Emergency Response Team (BERT), created in 2014 during the Ebola outbreak. BERT provides trained responders capable of assessing, treating and transporting any high risk or highly infectious patient and provides consultation or response to EMS agencies in Saratoga County regarding biological emergency responses.
The Council works closely with the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors, and is funded through private donations, and State and County tax dollars. Administrative assistance is provided by the Saratoga County Office of Emergency Services, and local EMS, Fire and Law Enforcement agencies. The local business community lends technical expertise to the Council. The Saratoga County EMS Council is recognized as a not for profit 501(c) (3)corporation by the Internal Revenue Service and the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance. The Council is also a registered charity with the NYS Department of Law.