Hilltown Community Ambulance Starts Planning For
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TONIGHT Partly Cloudy. Low of 37. Search for The Westfield News The Westfield “BEWARESearch for OF The LITTLE Westfield News Westfield350.com News TODAY IN WESTFIELDThe Westfield News EXPENSES SMALL . A “TIME IS THE ONLY HISTORY: Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns LEAK WILL SINK WEATHER CRITIC WITHOUT 1919 30 cans of fresh A GREAT SHIP.” TONIGHT AMBITION.” water trout released in - BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Partly Cloudy. Westfield streams. JOHN STEINBECK Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com Search for The Westfield News Westfield350.comWestfield350.org The WestfieldNews Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns “TIME IS THE ONLY WEATHERVOL. 86 NO. 151 TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 75 cents VOL. 87 NO. 89 TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2018 CRITIC75 Cents WITHOUT TONIGHT AMBITION.” Partly Cloudy. JOHN STEINBECK AfternoonLow of 55. funeral www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL.services 86 NO. 151 set for fallen TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 75 cents Massachusetts police Hilltown Community Ambulance officer Sean Gannon YARMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Massachusetts starts planning for next ambulance is paying its final respects to a police officer who was killed in the line of duty. By AMY PORTER also have a contract with the mobile A vigil and visitation for Yarmouth K-9 Correspondent mechanic who had worked for Officer Sean Gannon is scheduled for Tuesday HUNTINGTON – For Angela Northampton FD on that ambu- afternoon, while a funeral Mass is scheduled for Mulkerin, Services Director for the lance. Wednesday morning. Both will take place at St. Hilltown Community Ambulance Now they are looking more long- Pius X Roman Catholic church in Yarmouth. Association (HCAA), everything is term to replace their second ambu- The funeral Mass will be followed by a private going well enough that she is start- lance, which is the same year burial. ing to look long-term. HCAA, (2007), but has 10-11 years of The 32-year-old Gannon was shot and killed located at 1 Bromley Road in last Thursday while he and other officers were Hilltown miles on it. This time, serving an arrest warrant at a home in Barnstable. Huntington provides emergency Mulkerin said they would like to Gannon, who was married, was an 8-year medical services to the hilltown purchase a four-wheel drive ambu- veteran of the department. communities of Huntington, lance to help navigate those roads, He was remembered in his obituary for his Blandford, Chester, Montgomery, especially in the winter. “high moral integrity, infectious humor, and col- Russell and Worthington. She is keeping her eye on ambu- laborative work with colleagues.” Mulkerin said two of her fulltim- lance vendors, and has been told Gannon’s dog, Nero, also was shot but under- ers recently became paramedics, the price of ambulances may go up went surgery and is recovering. increasing her staff to four full- because of tariffs on aluminum time paramedics, including herself, recently announced by the Trump and three basic EMTS. They also administration. She said she’s employ paramedics and EMT’s being picky, and deciding what part-time, many of whom work they can and can’t live without. She full-time for other organizations is hoping to purchase a new ambu- and take shifts at HCAA. This lance this time, and is busy looking staffing allows them to respond Hilltown Community Ambulance Assoc. Services for possible grants. with paramedics 88% of the time, Director Angela Mulkerin with the next ambulance to be HCAA will also be holding its twenty-four hours a day. replaced. (Photo by Amy Porter) first public fundraiser, “Hilltown “The crew that we have working Hops” at the Chester Common here is incredible. They work well costs. “Each Hilltown couldn’t afford an Table, 30 Main St, Chester on May together and are responsive to community ambulance service. This is the way folks 10, from 5 pm to 8 pm. The event, emceed needs,” Mulkerin said, adding, “When I in the hilltowns are going to get what they by Steve Nagle includes craft beer sam- first came here, we weren’t staffed 24/7, need.” She said she just received an email pling from around the area, appetizers, much less having paramedics 24/7. from a Central Mass. Planning music by the Pitoniak Brothers and raffle Another charge Mulkerin had when she Commission that is looking to regionalize prizes to raise money for a new 4-wheel began as director, besides increasing cov- its ambulances services. drive ambulance. erage, was replacing an ambulance from “We’re not a town department. We’re “Everything we get from fundraising is 2000 that had to be decommissioned. The providing the most service and the best going towards an ambulance fund,” organization had just completed a three- service that our six towns would (be able Mulkerin said, adding. “We’re very lucky, year plan, which included plans to buy a to) pay. We try to not be an unaffordable there are not a great deal of costs on this new ambulance, and a 15% increase to the burden. We always feel, just because we event.” She said they have a good fund- towns. live in a rural area, people should not suf- raising committee, and are looking for Some of the towns balked, however, fer from traumatic complaints because sponsors for the event. They hope to raise and requested new contracts with the ambulances are rare,” Mulkerin said. $4,000 or $5,000 this time. Mulkerin said ambulance service. For more than a year, By a stroke of good fortune, HCAA was she knows it will take a few years to raise Mulkerin and the attorney worked out the able to purchase an ambulance, a 2007 the money needed. This undated photo posted on the official Advanced Life Support vehicle ahead of Facebook page of the Yarmouth, Mass., contracts with the six towns, adding Tickets for the 21-plus event are $20 in addendums at their request. This year’s schedule last year. “We managed to get a advance and $25 at the door, and can be Police Department shows officer Sean deal – a good ambulance from Gannon, shot to death on Thursday, April contracts are the same as last year, plus purchased by contacting Angela Mulkerin the addendums, with a 5% increase to the Northampton Fire Department, very well at 413-875-5781. Donations are also wel- 12, 2018, while he and other officers were maintained, that cost $17,500, instead of serving an arrest warrant at a home in towns. come. HCAA (hilltownambulance.org)is Mulkerin said her focus is on the sus- the $200,000 we were projecting for a a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, and all Barnstable, Mass. (Yarmouth Police Department new ambulance,” Mulkerin said. They via AP) tainability of HCAA, and decreasing donations are tax-deductible. False alarm, not outside attack, sets Cultural off Syria air defenses BEIRUT (AP) — A false alarm set off Syrian air defense systems early on Tuesday, Council the military said, denying earlier reports of an “outside aggression” and incoming airstrikes and underscoring the chaotic nature of the multiple actors in Syria’s theater of war. ready Syrian state media reported hours earlier that the country confronted yet another assault, shooting down missiles over the central region for 19th of Homs and a suburb of Damascus before dawn. The reports did not say who carried out the alleged strikes, adding to Mideast jitters only Annual Art days after the United States, Britain and France conducted airstrikes targeting Syria’s alleged chemical weapons facilities in retalia- Exhibition tion for a suspected chemical weapons attack By GREG FITZpaTRICK that they blamed on the Syrian government. Correspondent The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for SOUTHWICK – The 19th Annual Fine Human rights, which follows the war through Art Exhibition and Sale is taking place at a network of activists on the ground, reported the Southwick Town Hall on April 28 and the sound of explosions and lightning-like April 29. The event will take place from 10 flashes in the skies over Homs and near a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days. Damascus, without saying what it was. The exhibition will feature fine arts such The government-run Syrian Central Media as sculptures and pottery, as well as photog- said six missiles targeted the Shayrat air base raphy, oils, water colors, and woodcarvings in Homs on Tuesday, adding that Syrian air and will highlight the work of nearly 40 defenses shot down most of them. The Syrian artists from Northern Connecticut and outlet also reported another, separate airstrike Western Massachusetts. on the Dumayr air base, in a suburb of the The Southwick Cultural Council hosts the capital, Damascus. event every year an is looking forward to The Pentagon denied any American military seeing more success with the art show. activity in the area. There was no comment “We’re looking forward to continuing to from Israel, which frequently carries out air- celebrate at least 20 years next year,” said strikes in Syria but rarely acknowledges them. Susan Kochanski, the Chairman of the Only hours later, Syrian TV carried a mili- Southwick Cultural Council. tary statement saying that air defenses fired a According to Kochanski, over the years, number of missiles because of a “false alarm,” the number of people that have attended has without providing more information. grown. Last year, more than 1,000 people Earlier this month, four Iranian military This watercolor painting has been chosen as the poster art for the event and one of many were there for both days. pieces of art on display. (Photo courtesy of the Southwick Cultural Council) personnel were killed in an airstrike on Syria’s During Saturday’s exhibition, there will T4 air base, also in Homs.