Cayuga County emergency services reports surge in water emergencies, cites $490,000 EMS grant
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Summary
Emergency services reported a rise in water‑related incidents this year and highlighted a $490,000 no‑match award from the Bureau of EMS, delivery of Lucas CPR devices and 6,400 training hours; a mutual aid plan update and advisory board appointments are expected in January.
Riley Shurtleff, the county’s emergency services coordinator, told the committee that his office accepted a $490,000 no‑match grant from the Bureau of EMS and has distributed new Lucas CPR devices to ambulances across the county.
Shurtleff said the office has responded to 141 incidents so far this year, including about 97 potential or confirmed structure fires and 14 water emergencies — double the number the office typically sees. “We had, unfortunately, two separate drowning events,” he said, and noted a notable boat collision on Cayuga Lake earlier this year.
The office logged roughly 6,400 hours of training countywide and reported 398 student completions across courses, Shurtleff said. He added that mobile data terminals and ambulance vehicle‑locator units will be installed in the coming weeks and that one Lucas device has already been used successfully.
Shurtleff said the county is revising its five‑year fire mutual aid plan and expects a draft resolution for approval in January, along with fire advisory board appointment recommendations. Committee members thanked the many part‑time employees and volunteers who support emergency response work.
Next steps: the committee expects to see the mutual aid plan resolution and advisory‑board appointments on the January agenda.
