An ambulance company that served hundreds of thousands of people living and working in New York City and the lower Hudson Valley has ceased its operations after declaring bankruptcy, but public officials say they have backup plans in place.
Transcare, a private ambulance company, emailed its employees to say it planned to close up shop Wednesday.
The company serves four hospitals in the Bronx and three hospitals in Manhattan. The two boroughs will have 27 less ambulances as a result of Transcare going out of business.
The FDNY said in a statement that it has been aware of Transcare’s financial difficulties for months and has developed contingency plans, both short and long term, in anticipation of the bankruptcy.
In New York City, the FDNY and private ambulance companies will replace those being lost. FDNY units will be staffed overtime. Private EMS services are being surveyed to figure out how they should replace Transcare.
"It's our duty to the people of New York to be able to serve all citizens," said FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro, noting that Transcare only accounted for 15 people out of a work force of 11,000, so it's nothing that puts a strain on this department."
The company also serves 200,000 people in the lower Hudson Valley. Cities like White Plains, Mt. Vernon and New Rochelle have signed contracts with Empress ambulance company to fill the void.
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"We had our police and and firefighters who are paramedics and EMTs all on standby with their medical bags, just in case there was a shortage," said White Plains Police Commissioner David Chong. "Public safety is our main goal and we didn't want any lapse in coverage whatsoever."
Transcare has not responded to messages.
