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Gates Volunteer Ambulance Service’s new emergency service technology will help boost emergency response capabilities and educational preparedness.
“Today’s announcement is about more than the equipment,” said Dan DiSalvo, GVAS assistant chief, at the announcement last week. “It’s about the reliability, readiness, innovation, and protection of our community when people need us the most.”
“These resources don’t simply benefit Gates. It benefits the region,” added state Assemblyman Demond Meeks, whose district covers the town. “I know for a fact when talking to Dan that, if someone calls across on the east side of the county and they need these types of resources, (GVAS) would be able to go over and assist with those efforts.”
GVAS is a nonprofit that operates at three different locations, has seven advanced life support ambulances, four ALS response vehicles and a roster of 58 career and 35 volunteer EMS staffers. According to its most recent Form 990, it had $4.87 million in revenue and $4.41 million in expenditures in 2024.
Investments made by the organization in the latest funding round have gone toward the purchase of an all-season utility terrain vehicle, a pediatric HAL patient training simulator, and the replacement of a 30-year-old standby generator.
The UTV can be driven through difficult terrain, off-road trails, or in snowstorm conditions, expanding emergency operations. The three GVAS locations cover over 90 square miles spanning Gates, Ogden, Spencerport, and Parma, with much of that being rural farmland.
The HAL simulator is a lifelike model designed to simulate the behavior and reactions of a toddler and a school-aged child. The simulator, which GVAS staff have named Elijah, has a wide range of capabilities and training scenarios. For example, with direction from a main operator, Elijah can speak, make facial expressions, dilate its pupils, and sweat, bleed, and urinate, depending on the scenario. It will also realistically react to shocks, needles, and breathing tubes. As one GVAS operator referred to Elijah, it is “the deepest sandbox ever.”
“This technology allows most providers to train in highly realistic pediatric emergency scenarios that mirror real-world patient interactions and care plans. It positions (GVAS) at the forefront of pediatric emergency training,” DiSalvo said.
The ambulance service plans to incorporate the simulator into its advanced pediatric classes, held on a three-month basis, and has already used it for preparedness training among paramedic staff.
Meeks helped secure $177,000 in state funding for the new technology.
“Strong partnership between state leaders, local volunteers, and responders will make a real difference. Today is proof of that,” said DiSalvo.
Jacob Schermerhorn is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and data journalist.
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