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SOMAC
Description: Southern Madison County Volunteer Ambulance Corps (SOMAC) is a nonprofit ALS ambulance service covering the greater Hamilton area.
SOMAC was formed in June 1986 after the Community, Village, and Town of Hamilton were left without ambulance service. On April 4, 1986 the local paid ambulance service suddenly, without warning, went out of business. It took almost two months to get everything in order—paperwork, equipment, etc.—until SOMAC's service started June 1, 1986.
During this time, the Hamilton Fire Department rescue, a neighboring ambulance service, and active, potential SOMAC members responded to calls for the ambulance. Volunteers consisted of members of the Hamilton area community as well as Colgate University staff and students. Many became EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians) and continued their education to become Advanced Level EMTs (Intermediates, Level III Cardiac Tech's, and Level IV—Paramedics.)
Using borrowed pagers from Hamilton Hospital, SOMAC was dispatched by Madison County Control Center, through Hamilton Hospital. Telephone calls for help and an ambulance were made into the Control Center, by sharing the Hamilton Police Dept. phone lines. After a short time, the SOMAC pagers were in service and the ambulance was dispatched directly by the Control Center.
Student members in this group are some of the happiest to be working with the COVE despite being heavily engaged. They are encouraged to take more than the required at two on call shifts per week. Each shift is six hours, and there are monthly corps meetings which last between 2 and 3 hours. We also have several additional trainings which can run up to 4 hours. Members also have one or two rig checks per semester which take approximately an hour and a half, and are also asked to work as stand-bys for sporting events in the local community including coverage at Colgate Football and Hockey games as well as Hamilton Central School activities.
Community: SOMAC serves the greater Hamilton community, of approximately 6,000 people.
Volunteers say: "It has been wonderful being able to give back to the community that provides so much for us. I have also had to opportunity to form great relationships with members of the local community, and truly feel as though I am also a part of this greater community. While SOMAC is a huge time commitment, if it is the right group for you then the time is not a burden, but rather, an opportunity to use your skills to become a more integral part of the greater Hamilton community." Resources: SOMAC website