By Ginger Geoffery
WKBW
SILVER CREEK, N.Y. — A dispute over replacing an ambulance that was destroyed in the August flood means residents of Silver Creek are waiting longer for help during emergencies. Some Silver Creek E.M.T.s say they may even strike if they don’t get their new ambulance soon. The village had two ambulances but one was ruined in the flood. “It actually floated about 50 feet. The insurance company deemed it unsafe and out of service,” says Brandyn Griewisch, Captain/President of the Silver Creek emergency squad, “There was about two feet of muddy water inside (the ambulance).”
That left Silver Creek with one ambulance to serve some 5,000 people in the village and surrounding areas. Silver Creek now relies on Forestville six-and-a-half miles away for back-up on emergency calls. “For the most part we’re going to be waiting a while while someone’s laying there severely hurt and time matters,” says Griewisch.
It’s a potential life-and-death matter so a new ambulance was quickly ordered in the wake of the flood. That ambulance is now ready to be put into service, but some village trustees are are having second thoughts and say a smaller, less expensive vehicle may be more practical.
Full story: Emergency squad frustrated with delay in ambulance replacement