I am writing this letter in regard to the Letter to the Editor, written by Mr. Joseph A. Calamari, in the April 29,1998 edition of your paper. The Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps (MVAC) has been serving the residents of Mineola and surrounding communities since 1979. We operate three New York State Certified Advanced Life Support Ambulances, equipped with the most up-to-date and state-of-the-art pre-hospital emergency care equipment. This letter is a statement of facts that may have seemed unclear in Mr. Calamari's letter.

1. During the 1996 calendar year, MVAC responded into the Village of Garden City 45 times. In the 1997 calendar year MVAC responded into the Village of Garden City 85 times.

2. MVAC has not and will not solicit funds from Garden City residents because of the volunteer fire department's feeling that we (MVAC) do not have a right to do a fund drive in a community we serve. The only donations MVAC receives are from the Garden City PBA, The American Legion, and a few residents who appreciate our service.

3. MVAC has asked the Village of Garden City for a used police car for the service we provide free of charge, but unfortunately we have received negative results. This used police car would be used as an Advanced Life Support Response Vehicle. This response vehicle gives a paramedic or advanced emergency medical technician, a quicker response time to residents of Garden City or Mineola, while the ambulance is responding. MVAC has been getting the runaround from Village officials, which has included unreturned phone calls and unanswered letters.

4. Currently 11 residents of Garden Cioty are volunteering their services as members of MVAC. Since February 1998, MVAC has seen a decrease in the amount of calls in Garden City after a follow-up letter was sent to Village officials, inquiring about the used police vehicle. In January of 1998, MVAC responded to 12 emergency calls, from Feb. 1 until April 30, MVAC has only responded into Garden City three times. Residents of Garden City have been and may continue to wait up to 25 minutes for a Nassau County Police Ambulance that may be responding from as far away as Elmont.

5. MVAC has not and does not mind serving the residents of Garden City, but because of the increase in calls up until Febraury 1998, an increase in expenses, and a cut in our own 1998/99 budget, MVAC may be forced into not responding to the Village of Garden City for ambulance calls in the near future, in order to conserve our resources. The exception to this would be for one ambulance to respond to all working fires, as we have been doing so for the past five years in accordance with an agreement with the fire deparment.

6. MVAC tries very hard to give the best pre-hospital emergency care to the residents of Mineola and Garden City. MVAC responds when needed and only wants to help the residents of the communities we serve.

7. I must reiterate that MVAC has never done a fund drive in the Village of Garden City and we will not do a fund drive in the Village of Garden City until the volunteer fire department or the Village says that it is ok to do one.

Unfortunately, you will probably see MVAC not responding into the Village of Garden City before you will see a fund drive envelope from the Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

Edward Rummel

Chief of Operations