PULASKI, N.Y. -- In Pulaski, paramedics and EMTs at the Northern Oswego County Ambulance Service are ready to go anytime there's an emergency.
"We provide an excellent service. We're out the door very quickly," said NOCA EMT Dennis Shaw.
But that might not be the case in the future. NOCA has been losing money for the past few years and was recently forced to downsize. They say the combination of rising costs and a decreasing number of volunteers is threatening the operation.
"I believe there's a possibility of us closing. However, I believe the town's are very committed to work against that," said NOCA Executive Director Rich Duvall.
NOCA is currently talking with leaders from the seven towns it serves and presenting options.
One possibility is a tax increase, but town supervisors aren't so sure that that's the answer.
Financial troubles at Northern Oswego County Ambulance are putting its future in jeopardy. The service has been around for more than 30 years and serves seven towns in the county but all that could be coming to an end. Our Andy Mattison spoke with NOCA staff to see why they're struggling.
"One of the biggest problems all of us agreed to is the fact that the increase is way more than we can absorb in a single year," said Sandy Creek Town Supervisor Lonnie Crast.
While there is some disagreement as to the best way to keep NOCA open, everyone seems to agree that it is important for the area to have an ambulance service.
"There's no law that says the towns have to provide ambulance service. But it's an assumed service. The public expects it and it should be provided," said Crast.
"If somebody's having a heart attack and you gotta' wait extra minutes for the ambulance to come from another region, could be the difference between life and death," said Shaw.
Duvall also said one of the other options they presented to town supervisors would be to reduce service, which Duvall estimates would cause NOCA to miss about 700 calls a year.
The town supervisors will meet again in August.