Greenport Fire Department loses narcotics license, chief says

Greenport Fire Department ambulances can no longer carry certain narcotics after a state inspection identified deficiencies, according to fire department officials.

The state Department of Health conducted an inspection of the department on March 9 and temporarily suspended its narcotics license, Chief Alain de Kerillis said in a statement.

“During this review, the department was notified that its controlled substance plan required updating,” de Kerillis said.

State and fire officials declined to go into detail about the deficiencies noted during the inspection, citing an ongoing state review. The Department of Health said it is “limited” in what it can disclose while the matter is probed.

 Advanced life support providers can administer a wider range of medications and start IVs to stabilize patients, while basic life support includes fundamentals such as CPR, according to the American Red Cross. State law requires advanced life support providers are authorized to administer controlled substances and maintain certain medications.

State, county and local officials stressed there is no change in emergency response for residents. Advanced level care on the North Fork is supplemented by Stony Brook Medicine paramedics, who respond to emergency calls between Mattituck and Orient alongside local volunteer ambulance crews.

State health officials said the agency’s ambulance license was not revoked. Ambulance services must be state licensed to provide basic or advanced level care.

“At this time, the agency has voluntarily returned certain medications, including controlled substances, to the hospital that issues them,” John Emery, a Health Department spokesman, said in an emailed statement. “Because the agency is not currently maintaining those medications, it is presently limited to providing Basic Life Support (BLS) level care.” 

Emery said residents should continue dialing 911 in emergencies, adding the department has mutual aid plans with other agencies that stand ready to offer ALS services.

De Kerillis said Thursday the department's status "remains unchanged," reiterating that patient care has not been affected while the state review is pending.

No change in service

Rudy Sunderman, the commissioner of Suffolk County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, said Greenport residents will receive the same standard of emergency care.

“There is no level-of-care change for the residents, the residents are not affected in any way,” Sunderman said, because of shared response plans in place with both neighboring fire departments and Stony Brook Medicine.

“Suffolk County EMS will help support Greenport Fire Department regain the ALS certificate so they could come back up and running again,” Sunderman said, adding that could include additional training and help filing documents with the state.

The Greenport Fire Department responded to more than 1,200 calls last year with 15 emergency medical personnel, according to de Kerillis. “More than 90 percent of the Fire Department’s calls are Basic Life Support and do not require a narcotics license,” he said in a statement.

Stony Book medics ready

Eric Niegelberg, assistant vice president of operations for emergency services at Stony Brook Medicine, said the agency staffs two paramedic vehicles in Southold Town and one on Shelter Island, which have been in place for five years.

“If the ambulance crew needs additional resources, then our paramedic jumps in the back of the ambulance with the Greenport crew, continues care and they transport the patient to the hospital,” Niegelberg said in an interview.

Many fire departments and EMS agencies now pay to staff a paramedic or rely on agreements with Stony Brook and other providers, he said. “Very few of the EMS agencies anywhere in Suffolk County have enough volunteer paramedics that they could not possibly guarantee that every ambulance response has a paramedic on that ambulance.”

Niegelberg said basic life support comes before advanced measures.

“If I respond as a paramedic, the first thing I do is basic life support,” he said. “The system falls apart if you don't have basic life support.”

Inspections of ambulance services are routine and typically review medication and equipment storage, documentation and other compliance.

De Kerillis said the department is working to address the issue. “The Department remains committed to the highest standards of service and public safety,” he said in the statement.