Point O’ Woods residents have always had an answer to that age-old question, “Who ya gonna call?”, but thanks to a new deal with Ocean Beach, EMT coverage is better than ever.
The emergency services contract—approved unanimously by the Ocean Beach Board of Trustees at its June meeting—means that 911 calls from Point O’ Woods are fielded by Suffolk County and then patched through directly to Ocean Beach’s robust EMT squad, bringing response times lower than ever. Before, Suffolk police would arrive and then call the Ocean Beach crew.
“This is a good thing for everybody, a win-win situation,” said Ocean Beach Mayor Natalie Rogers.
The contract stipulates that Ocean Beach receives priority should two calls come in simultaneously.
From your call to personnel arriving on scene there are several steps, aided by a state-of-the-art communications system designed to make the handoff as fast and seamless as possible.
“It’s very involved, but people want to know they can call and know someone will come,” said Joe Loeffler, Jr., an Ocean Beach Trustee and volunteer firefighter.
At an annual cost of $13,200, the Point O’ Woods deal is the last link in a chain of coverage extending from there all the way west to Kismet. Each of the 132 houses in Point O’ Woods pays $100 in taxes to Islip, which then pays Ocean Beach directly. The rest of Fire Island is covered by the town of Islip.
“The level of service is phenomenal. There are helicopters, boats, ambulance…millions of dollars [are spent in] resources,” said Loeffler.
Point O’ Woods has always paid and received services, but this formality brings it into step with surrounding communities with similar arrangements.
Having the contract also makes good financial sense: paying into the system means the community can’t get sued for using services bankrolled by a different set of taxpayers. And that brings down insurance rates.
Also lauding the move—in a spirit of general good will—was was long-time resident Point O’ Woods resident Ned Hurley.
“You can’t be part of a community and not be part of community,” he said.