Great Barrington, Mass. – April 8 – The public is invited to a presentation of the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Organizational Analysis of the Southern Berkshire Region on Tuesday April 16th at 6 PM at the Great Barrington Fire Department, 37 State Road, Great Barrington. This is the final report of a project that is a collaborative community effort to address rural emergency medical services capacity.
In February of 2018, leadership from the twelve towns of the Southern Berkshire County, and local officials representing public safety, emergency medical services (EMS) and Fairview Hospital, met with State Representative William “Smitty” Pignatelli to discuss the current state of EMS capabilities in Southern Berkshire County. Following these discussions, Representative Pignatelli, with the support of State Senator Adam Hinds, received state funding to conduct a review of the Southern Berkshire region’s EMS capabilities, challenges and opportunities.
A sub-committee of the Southern Berkshire Regional Emergency Planning Committee (SBREPC), an established network of emergency and safety officials that meets monthly at Fairview Hospital, selected the firm of Hanifen and Associates for a comprehensive review of the Southern Berkshire region’s emergency medical services status. Hanifen and Associates provides consulting services in a variety of disciplines related to Fire Administration and Emergency Services, specifically organizational analysis of Fire and EMS Organizations, to communities and businesses.
The presentation on April 16 will include the results of the study including an evaluation of the current strengths and gaps of local EMS and first responder agencies, the feasibility of shared regional EMS and recommendations of best practice from other regions that offer strategies to build local capacity and capabilities. There is no cost to attend. There will be a limited number of copies of the report available.
For more information or to request a copy of the report, please contact Heather Barbieri, Director of Emergency Management at Fairview Hospital, at (413) 854-9656.