Catskill Hatzalah And Monticello Firefighters Had Their Seventh Annual Meeting.

For the past 24 years, Catskill Hatzalah has come to Sullivan County Catskills, with 11 ambulances and with 250 to 300 emergency medical technicians and EMTs. Catskill Hatzalah is affiliated with Chevrah Hatzolah of New York City, the largest volunteer ambulance service in the world. They're staffed by Orthodox Jews – by people just like the folks who flock the catskills for the summer.


This week Catskill Hatzalah and Monticello Firefighters had their seventh annual meeting, a tradition established to lay out the groundwork for cooperation.
And one of the problems they are trying to work on, (on the occasions when there has been a problem) has been with other people not Hatzalah members, that they get in the way of emergency medical workers, said Monticello's director of fire services.

"There are a lot of people who come to calls who are not Hatzalah personnel. They get in our way, and they get in your way," said a coordinator with Catskill Hatzalah. Move impostors off the scene and don't be shy about it.

The firefighters said they've been reluctant to be too forceful because they don't want to offend the Orthodox community.

So to solve the problem from now on all Hatzalah members are required to wear a bright yellow emergency vest at any scene. If a guy isn't wearing a vest, will have to tell him to go home, to leave the scene.