Chenango County Emergency Management Director Matt Beckwith discusses the county's EMS plan during a Board of Supervisors meeting held in May. Citing a need for changes to provide local EMS services, the board adopted a decentralized EMS plan in April, followed by the establishment of an ambulance service in May. The county’s proposal calls for the hiring of nearly 20 EMS employees over the next few years, including an administrator and multiple basic and advanced life support technicians. (Photo by Tyler Murphy)

NORWICH - Nearly four months after the Chenango County Board of Supervisors adopted a plan to expand EMS services in the area, some administrators are pushing for a fallback plan in case things fall apart.

The plan, which has been nearly two and a half years in the making, was discussed at length at a recent meeting of the county’s Safety and Rules Committee, where Smyrna Supervisor Michael Khoury addressed committee members about the need for a “Plan B” in case the county’s adopted EMS proposal simply doesn’t work out.

“When we first voted on the EMS plan, the idea was that it’s a work in progress,” said Kouhry, adding his beliefs that some firefighter districts in the county have felt left out of the discussion. “This thing was going to be worked through. There were a lot of details and a lot of moving parts. And the exchange of ideas is important as we go along.”

Kouhry explained there are costs which “weren’t completely spelled out in the plan.” And while he agreed that lackluster EMS services in Chenango County need attention, he argued the county needs back-up ideas to modify it if necessary. For that, it’s best to get more input from all 12 agencies in the county that are already providing EMS transport, he said.

“This is a long process. There’s a lot of complications to this. At least hear what they have to say because they have the expertise and talent.”