The Village of Kiryas Joel volunteer emergency service will be recognized as the EMS agency of the year by the Orange County Emergency Medical Services council at its annual dinner on Wednesday.
The Orange County EMS Council is a non-profit organization serving 24 emergency medical services in the county.
The KJ EMS, also known as Hatzolah Rescue, is composed of some 100 members; 75 percent of them are certified emergency medical technicians and 20 are certified paramedics.
Each year they respond to more than 6,000 emergencies, accidents and injuries in the village, and they provide mutual aid to surrounding communities two to three times a week.
The KJ EMS fleet consists of seven ambulances and three first responder advanced life support paramedic vehicles.
All of the volunteers carry approximately $3,000 worth of life-saving equipment in their private vehicles that they use to respond to emergencies and are not compensated for the usage, mileage, maintenance or fuel.
The paramedics carry approximately $30,000 worth of lifesaving equipment.
