SOMAC to end ambulance operations in Madison County, replaced by Madison County EMS

HAMILTON, N.Y. — The Southern Madison County Ambulance Corps, Inc. (SOMAC), will end emergency-medical service operations after 37 years and Madison County EMS will take over providing service to SOMAC’s coverage areas.

“We eagerly anticipate collaborating closely with Madison County EMS in the forthcoming weeks to establish a robust transition plan, addressing all operational and logistical intricacies,” SOMAC Board President Morgan Larson said in a Madison County government news release. “Our commitment to a smooth transition and maintaining the highest standards of care for the communities we serve remains unwavering.”

Formed in June 1986 after Hamilton and Lebanon — including the villages of Hamilton, Earlville, and hamlet of Hubbardsville — were left without ambulance service, SOMAC is a volunteer-paid hybrid, not-for-profit organization based in Hamilton.

Madison County EMS, formed in February 2022, will begin EMS coverage of the SOMAC district, ensuring southern Madison County is not without ambulance service.

A date for the transition of service has not yet been set. Before that happens, a public forum will be scheduled to address questions and concerns from the community.

“Madison County EMS will work closely with SOMAC and our other community partners on a comprehensive transition plan,” Madison County Emergency Management Director Dan Degear said in the release. “We want the community to know that Madison County EMS is dedicated to continuing a high level of care to [the] Hamilton and Lebanon area. When you call 911, we will be there to answer your call; the only difference you will see is the graphics on the side of the ambulance.”

Madison County EMS, which serves the EMS needs of Community Memorial Hospital and Colgate University, will work with SOMAC employees and volunteers, the hospital, the towns of Hamilton and Lebanon, and the university on a transition. This includes ensuring the continuation of the Colgate student volunteer program

“We appreciate and are extremely grateful for the many years that SOMAC volunteers and paid staff have provided excellent EMS service to the Hamilton community,” Hamilton Town Supervisor Eve Ann Shwartz said.