Bridgehampton - When residents of Southampton are faced with the necessity of having to dial 911, they can rest assured that members of one of the Town's eight Emergency Medical Services will respond to their call. Ensuring that in the future is becoming a growing concern as new recruits are dwindling due to the rising costs of living in the area.

The emergency services in Bridgehampton and Southampton Village fall within the command structure of their respective fire departments, while those offered in Sag Harbor and Hampton Bays are separate entities. Yet, in all the divisions, the majority is compromised of volunteers such as Terry Elkins, a 10 year Emergency Medical Technician for the Bridgehampton Fire Department.

"Our members go above and beyond," Elkins said speaking to the dedication of the men and women who donate their time often at the risk of their own safety.

Trained emergency medical technicians are the first to assess accident victims.

Dwindling Ranks However, the lingering question of how these departments will fill their ranks in the future as membership ages remains a growing concern. According to Bridgehampton Fire Chief John Healey, this reality could eventually present a "critical problem." Chief Healey reports most of his volunteers are in their Forties, Fifties and older with only a few younger volunteers on board in their Twenties and Thirties.

For EMT Elkins, volunteering is "a great reward" and in his opinion, "no better way to serve the community." Unfortunately, the personal pay-off alone appears to be not enough of an incentive to attract new, younger members who are finding it increasingly more difficult to afford living in the area. As a result, the Town will eventually have to more seriously consider converting to a paid responder system.

"Possibly," Chief Healey said, "But we would have to move in that direction gently." Both Elkins and the Chief expressed "total confidence" in their ability to answer the emergency medical needs of the public "for now," adding that volunteerism is a proud tradition and crucial to the success of the department.

As opposed to completely altering the status quo, Chief Healey opined that a "split system" of a paid staff augmenting the volunteers is a potential solution while outlining other steps that could be immediately adopted. "A lot of our volunteers are self-employed and have to pay for their own health and life insurance. If the Town offered those benefits as an incentive then that would go a long way in attracting new members."

Another consideration the Town would have to grapple with should it move to a paid system is the expense of paying 10 to 12 paramedics. "That would mean a significant tax hike for residents," Chief Healey said. As of now, some departments already utilize paid personnel to ensure a constant state of readiness. According to Elkins, his team receives some 500-600 emergency calls a year. "It's amazing what we're able to do," he added. "For every two or three of us you see there's about 80 to 90 of us you don't see."

Supervisor-Elect Linda Kabot said she supports sustaining volunteerism with paid personnel. "What the volunteers do is commendable," Kabot said. "We're blessed in this town to have such people willing to serve us."

The soon-to-be Supervisor concurred that the high cost of living makes it extremely difficult for people to volunteer their time. This is especially the case of coverage in the daytime when most people are working.

On Call All The Time
"We need to have paramedics on call all the time," Kabot said. "In Hampton Bays for instance where you have 17,000 people and sometimes two to three calls a day, you've got to have people at the ready to respond. What's most important is that if a child is choking or someone's having a stroke or heart attack is to get to them with the best care as soon as possible. The volunteers understand this and providing emergency care is their top priority."

Kabot praised the volunteers for their "selfless service" to the community, adding that without them there would be a significant tax impact on residents in the town.

With the ever-increasing price tag that comes with living in The Hamptons, it is becoming equally more difficult for those willing to volunteer to make ends meet.

To begin with, there's the training. Elkins described his nearly year-long certification process as "intense" with frequent tests, lectures and practical applications. "It requires a big commitment. And the thing is, most of the time the type of guys who end up volunteering are the ones who can afford it the least."