Cazenovia Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps moved into their new facility on Route 20 at the beginning of February with the help of town, village and school district employees.
“We were just amazed,” said Eric Byers, Chief of Operations. Every single thing was moved from the old location to the new in about an hour and a half. “We never missed a beat,” Byers said.
The new facilities feature two bathrooms on each floor, compared to one bathroom for both floors in the old facility. There are crew quarters on the second floor and a large training on the first floor, where CAVAC hopes to hold community CPR and health training in the future.
CAVAC covers basically the Cazenovia School District, and it was important for the new facility to be in the center of the village.
Byers was thankful for the Lucas family for offering a piece of their property for the construction; if they hadn’t found there current location, CAVAC may have moved to Nelson.
While there were some concerns about the visibility of ambulances in the new Route 20 location, Byers said the visibility is a great improvement over the previous location.
“Nothing could be worse than where we were before” as far as visibility is concerned, Byers said.
CAVAC recently released a list of frequently asked questions about the new facility and CAVAC in general to address community concerns.
Why did CAVAC build a new facility?
Our beloved Carpenter’s Barn home requires significant restoration and modifications to meet the functional requirements of a modern ambulance corps. Undertaking a historical restoration would have greatly distracted CAVAC from its mission of providing emergency medical services.
Where is the new CAVAC facility located?
Our new facility is located at 106 Nelson Street at the eastern edge of the village.
What will happen to Carpenter’s Barn?
The Village of Cazenovia owns Carpenter’s Barn and graciously provided CAVAC with our home for the past 36 years. CAVAC is not aware of what the village’s future plans are for this building.
What is the Cazenovia Ambulance District?
CAVAC’s Ambulance District is the same area covered by the Cazenovia School District which includes three townships and the Delphi Falls Fire District in Pompey.
What does the line on my town tax statement for the CAVAC Ambulance represent and how is this money spent?
The Ambulance District was originally set up to provided Advanced Life Support services for the Cazenovia district. Ambulance District tax money that CAVAC receives goes toward paying our paramedics, the Advanced Life Support supplies and workman’s compensation insurance.
How is the new CAVAC facility being paid for?
The new facility reflects an important step in maintaining our ability to provide the very best possible emergency medical care. To pay for the new facility, CAVAC used the combination of a mortgage, savings from service call revenue, donations and nearly $100,000 in grants for needed equipment.
What volunteer opportunities are available at CAVAC?
CAVAC desires the new facility to serve as a viable symbol of this community’s ability to care for itself for years to come. To achieve this goal, we need your help. As stated previously, CAVAC began with 300 volunteers. Today our volunteer ranks are less than 100. We have volunteer opportunities available as dispatchers, drivers and EMTs, as well as other general membership volunteer opportunities.
If you feel that volunteering is something that you would like to do, you can obtain an application by visiting cavacambulance.org, calling 655-9798 and requesting one be mailed, or stopping by CAVAC and speaking with an on-duty dispatcher to pick up an application.
