At an open house marking the one-year anniversary of the switch from the Southern-Madison Ambulance Corps (SOMAC) to Madison County EMS, county officials spoke about the smooth transition and expanded training opportunities for Colgate University student volunteers.
The Nov. 11 event also allowed community members to meet first responders and see the physical improvements made to the ambulance headquarters in the village of Hamilton.
“Our main goal was to make sure it was a good transition,” said Jenna Illingworth, director of Madison County Emergency Medical Services. “From what I’ve been hearing from the public, it has been pretty seamless.”
Hamilton Mayor RuthAnn Loveless and Town Supervisor Eve Ann Shwartz echoed that sentiment, with the mayor saying the switchover went “remarkably well” while Schwartz pointed out how the county team “seamlessly followed in the footsteps of the SOMAC volunteers who served our community so well for 37 years.”
Since SOMAC ended operations on Nov. 11, 2023, the county EMS has received roughly 1,000 emergency calls, a slight uptick from previous years.
“The crew stays here the whole time. So they're out the door within two minutes. If they’re not, they get a phone call from me,” Illingworth said.
The Hamilton EMTs also transport about 40 patients each month who require specialized care, traveling to hospitals as far away as Binghamton and Albany.
The first responders include 32 Colgate student volunteers, who Illingworth said bring an impressive level of commitment and energy. “They’re doing an awesome job, and it’s really been a lot of fun to watch them grow and turn into the providers they are today.”
Two major changes since the county has taken over are the addition of a dedicated classroom space for students and staff and a new room, with two bunk beds and a computer station, that allows student EMTs to rest or do coursework while they wait for calls.
Michelle Ovchinsky ’26 is a neuroscience major from Millburn, N.J., who has been an EMT volunteer at the station for three years. She said having a dedicated training coordinator from the county — Morgan Pedersen — has been a game-changer.
“With SOMAC, we really didn’t have a specific person who would work with the student training coordinators,” explained Ovchinsky. “But Morgan has been extremely hands-on and so helpful. She’s brought in a lot of training tools we didn't have before.”
Logan Zamzam ’26 said his EMT skills and those of the other volunteers have definitely been boosted by the more formalized training.
“We can do more interactive training rather than just lectures because we have the resources now,” he said. The molecular biology major from Grand Rapids, Mich., said he’s been on about 20 ambulance runs this semester, several that involved people suffering physical trauma after being in vehicle accidents.
Ovchinsky said she’s learned about different types of care after responding to calls from rural areas outside the village.
“Some people don't have proper access to health care so they wait until the last possible moment to call. So, you’re working with patients who are in a very serious health position,” Ovchinsky said.
It’s not just the medical training that proves valuable. While both students are on pre-med tracks, Ovchinsky said there are other students with unrelated majors such as political science who benefit from volunteering.
“You're working with lots of people from different backgrounds who are at very different places in their lives. You really have to learn how to be personable and how to work well with them and work well as a team,” Ovchinsky said.
Illingworth said that, early next year, she will open the new classroom to the public for courses on CPR, first-aid, and ways to help people who are bleeding badly.
The Stop the Bleed class is especially important in the agricultural areas around Hamilton, she said, and participants will learn how to use tourniquets and other methods to stop any kind of bleeding prior to EMTs getting there.
Another overall benefit to the transition is increased flexibility.
The Hamilton station has three ambulances, and, along with the 12 full-time employees and the student volunteers, there are a multitude of part-time and per-diem workers. Illingworth said that resources can be shared between the Hamilton station and the second county ambulance station in the Town of Sullivan.
“It’s like a load share,” she said. “During very busy times we can share ambulances and crews from one station to the other if they are needed and are available.”
Joe Hernon, who leads Colgate’s emergency management operations, said that from the University’s perspective, the transition has gone extremely well.
“The county has been an outstanding partner in this entire process,” Hernon said. “We’re genuinely excited to see their great work and to continue collaborating as they expand their programs to support our community and students.”