Our History

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In the late 1990's the Emergency Medical System in Greene County was comprised of a patchwork of volunteer rescue squads and contracted commercial paramedic ambulance services. With steadily declining volunteerism, and the unreliability of the paid private ambulances, there was the recognition that something more needed to be done.

Greene County Emergency Medical Systems, Inc. (often referred to as "Greene EMS" or "Greene County Paramedics") is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation, that was developed with support of the Greene County Rural Health Network, to provide high-quality, reliable, advanced life support services to the residents and visitors of Greene County.

Two paramedic units covering the mountaintop community, and the Town of Cairo, commenced service on August 1, 2000 with a first year call volume of 550. A third paramedic unit and the Town of Catskill were added in 2001. By 2004, all townships had signed on to the "fly car" system and four paramedics were operating 24/7/365. Greene EMS received the "EMS Agency of the Year" Award, from the Hudson-Mohawk REMSCO, in 2005. As the system grew and call volume increased, the transition from a part-time administrator to a full-time Chief of Operations position was made in 2007. The "EMS Agency of the Year" award was bestowed upon Greene EMS again in October 2015, capping off the busiest year in our history with paramedics answering 3921 calls for service. In April 2020 "Medic 8" officially became the fifth, full-time, paramedic unit. Stationed at Prattsville Hose Company, it services the most rural portions of Greene County, where hospital transport times are routinely an hour or more. 

Today, Greene EMS boasts some of the most highly trained, best equipped, and technologically advanced paramedics in New York State (for more information, please visit the "Capabilities" link on our home page).