Under terms of the agreement, which runs through May 31, North Shore will provide an ambulance dedicated to the village and staffed by at least one paramedic and one emergency medical technician for 12 hours a day Monday through Friday. Back-up service provided by the Nassau County Police Department Emergency Ambulance Bureau and the Rockville Centre Fire Department remains unchanged and residents were told to continue to use 911 to summon an ambulance.
The agreement was approved by the Village Board of Trustees in a unanimous vote on Nov. 17 at a meeting that was heavily attended by Rockville Centre Fire Department personnel who spoke in favor of the proposal.
Mayor Mary Bossart called the decision to use an outside agency instead of volunteers from Rockville Centre as the primary responder "a major institutional change." And she characterized the agreement as a "six-month experiment" that will be thoroughly evaluated before being renewed.
