Oakfield

Elijah Robert Coombs, 18, of Orchard Street, Oakfield, is charged with obstruction of governmental administration 2nd, resisting arrest, criminal nuisance, 2nd, harassment, 2nd, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Coombs is accused of causing problems when deputies arrived at his residence to investigate a report of an underage drinking party at 11:43 p.m., Friday. When deputies attempted to arrest Coombs, he allegedly resisted arrest and struck a deputy. Deputies Matt Fleming and Patrick Reeves responded to the call.

Andrew Zimba Perdock, 25, of Bethany Center Road, Bethany, was arrested on a bench warrant, alleged failure to pay fine related to a petit larceny charge. Perdock was jailed on $100 bail.

Ronald James Tombari, 24, of Court Road, Pavilion, is charged with felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, unlicensed operation, failure to keep right and no seat belt. Tombari was stopped at 12:12 a.m. Sunday on Perry Road, Pavilion, by Deputy John Weis.

(name redacted), 19, and (name redacted upon request), 24, both of South Lake Avenue, Bergen, are charged with unlawful dealing with a child. xxx and xxx were arrested following an investigation into a report of a loud gathering. xxx and xxx were accused of hosting an underage drinking party.

Christopher William Fowler, 24, of Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater and parking on a roadway. Fowler was allegedly found in his vehicle at 10:13 p.m., Saturday, with it stopped on Stegman Road and Miller Road, Batavia, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

A 17-year-old from Batavia has been charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth was stopped at 3:28 p.m., Saturday, on Lewiston Road, Batavia, for alleged traffic violations by Deputy Patrick Reeves. During the traffic stop, the youth was allegedly found in possession of marijuana.

Lori Ann Brightenfield, 53, of Main Road, Stafford, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Deputy Jason Saile responded to a report of a citizen requesting assistance because her vehicle ran out of gas in the Town of Le Roy. Following an investigation, Brightenfield was arrested for alleged DWI.

Edward Otis Hardy, 54, of Pelham Road, Pensacola, Fla., is considered a fugitive from justice by the State of Florida and was in Genesee County Jail on unrelated charges when he was arrested on warrants from Florida. In Escambia County Circuit Court, he is charged with battery/touch or strike, battery on a police officer or firefighter, assault on a police officer or firefighter, obstruction, depriving a person the means of protection or communication, disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest with violence. Hard was arraigned in Stafford Town Court and jailed without bail pending extradition.

Shawn Michael Twardowski, 30, of Dodd Run Road, Marietta, Ohio, was arrested on bench warrants for criminal contempt, 1st, and harassment, 2nd. Twardowski was arrested in Caldwell, Ohio, after allegedly fleeing the state after being charged with criminal contempt and harassment. Twardowski was returned to Genesee County Court and arraigned by Judge Robert C. Noonan and jailed without bail. There are also active warrants for Twardowski out of Batavia City Court and Town of Oakfield Court.

Shantell Sharnice Gibson, 20, of East Avenue, Batavia, is charged with grand larceny, 4th, and petit larceny. Gibson is accused of stealing merchandise from Kmart. She also allegedly stole property from another person.

Rebecca N. Bethune, 24, of 5008 Hundredmark Road, Elba, is charged with two counts of unlawful dealing with a child, 1st. Bethune was arrested by Le Roy PD after allegedly buying alcohol for two people under the age of 21.

Christina M. Sanchez-Anderson, 24, of 2 Lewis Place, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Sanchez-Anderson is accused of leaving her two children at home alone and unsupervised. Her 3-year-old was allegedly found at 9:58 a.m., Saturday, outside and not wearing any shoes. Sanchez-Anderson was jailed on $2,500 bail. Department of Social Services assisted in the case.

Ashley M. Kreutz, 25, of 10 Lewis Place, Batavia, is charged endangering the welfare of a child. Kreutz allegedly left her two children unsupervised for more than four hours Saturday morning. One child was transported to UMMC for a medical evaluation. Kreutz was jailed on $5,000 bail. Department of Social Services assisted in the case.

Eric J. Bratcher, 24, of 7 1/2 South St., Le Roy, is charged with criminal impersonation, 2nd. Attica PD responded to a report of a complaint of noise and underage drinking at an address on Washington Avenue, Attica, and Bratcher allegedly gave police officers a false name. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Wendi L. Provost, 37, of 19 Riverside Parkway, Massena, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI, driving without headlights and failure to keep right. Provost was stopped 1:10 a.m. on West Main Street by Officer Eric Bolles.

Bryan Pettinella, 27, of131 Bank St,, Apt. A, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. During a verbal argument, Pettinella allegedly punched the car of another person causing damage.

Curtis J. Doward, 18, of 25 Ganson Ave., Batavia, is charged with two counts of failure to appear as directed, criminal contempt, 2nd, and endangering the welfare of a child (second two counts are warrants). Doward turned himself in to Batavia PD on a failure-to-appear warrant. He was jailed on $2,500 bail on each count.

Christopher W. Cummings, 33, of 19 Cherry St., Batavia, is charged with coercion, 2nd, aggravated harassment, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. Related to a domestic incident, Cummings allegedly sent numerous unwanted text messages in an attempt to compel or induce the victim to engage in conduct she had the legal right to abstain from, thereby threatening her. Cummings is also accused of spitting on the victim.

Christopher W. Colantonio, 23, of 110 South Swan St., Batavia, is charged with a violation of probation. Colantonio was taken into custody by the Probation Department for an alleged violation of probation.

Pavel V. Yefremenko, 24, of 8 Walnut St., Batavia, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI, speeding and consumption of alcohol in a vehicle. Yefremenko was stopped at 1:27 a.m., Sunday, on West Main Street, Batavia, by Sgt. Dan Coffey.

Kayla Marie Baker, 22, of Union Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Baker is accused of stealing more than $900 in merchandise from Target over a several month period.

Howard Clarance Schultz, 54, of Keeney Road, Le Roy, was arrested on a warrant out of Greece, for aggravated harassment, 2nd. Schultz was located during an incident at 8798 Keeney Road, Le Roy, reported at 9:51 p.m., Friday.  Friday's incident remains under investigation.

Joshua James Burns, 26, of North Main Street, Oakfield, is charged with stalking, 4th. Burns is accused of sending a text message to another person after being warned by law enforcement to cease all contact with the person.

Philip Chase Smith, 28, of South Old Wire Road, North Carolina, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and obstructed license plate. Smith was stopped at 11:05 p.m. Friday, on Route 5, Batavia, by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Jason Lee Perry, 18, of Telephone Road, Pavilion, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Perry is accused of violating an order of protection barring him from offensive conduct toward a family member.

David Bernard Marsceill, 35, of Old Ford Road, Elba, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd, strangulation, 2nd, and criminal mischief, 3rd. Marsceill is accused of choking another person during a domestic incident, causing that person to lose consciousness, of damaging a vehicle during the incident and possessing brass knuckles on two separate occasions.

Randy Lee Smith, 55, of Swamp Road, Byron, is charged with petit larceny and trespass. Smith is accused of stealing railroad tie plates located in the CSX Railroad right of way in the area of Route 19, Village of Bergen.

Russell P. Cessna, 24, of Batavia, is charged with burglary, 2nd. Cessna was arrested by State Police in connection with a burglary reported in the Town of Stafford on July 28. No further details released.

Jimmy R. Wenzel, 26, of Wyoming, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Wenzel was arrested by State Police in connection with an alleged incident reported at 2:45 a.m., Saturday, in Pavilion. No further details released.

A 41-year-old Oakfield man has been accused of having sexual contact with a child under age 11.

Charged with sexual abuse in the first degree is John W. Eastridge, a resident of Bennett Avenue, Oakfield.

Eastridge was arrested by Youth Officer John Dehm following an investigation into an incident that allegedly occurred in November 2002.

Following arraignment, Eastridge was released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Thomas Harold Hofer, 51, of South Pearl Street, Oakfield, is charged with coercion, 1st, two counts of criminal mischief, 4th, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation and trespass. The charges against Hofer stem from an alleged domestic dispute with his girlfriend at 9:43 p.m., Sunday, in the Town of Batavia. Hofer was jailed on $5,000 bail.

John Everett Pfalzer, 48, of Sumner Road, Darien, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Pfalzer is accused of striking the hand of another person. The alleged incident was reported at 10:40 a.m., Monday.

Deborah A. Schramm, 32, of Lewis Place, Batavia, was arrested on a bench warrant for alleged failure to appear on an attempted petit larceny charge.

Maurice G. Leach, 36, of 212 State St., Batavia, is charged with menacing, 3rd, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and criminal tampering, 3rd. Police officers Eric Hill, Thad Mart and Chris Camp responded to a report of a male subject hitting a woman outside 212 State St. at 8:39 a.m., Sunday. During the investigation, Leach allegedly became combative and when officers attempted to place him into custody, he allegedly resisted arrest. While at police headquarters, Leach allegedly urinated and defecated on the floor of the holding cell. Leach was jailed on $50,000 bail.

Edward R. Freida, 41, of 47 Tracy Ave., Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd. Freida was allegedly found in possession of a switchblade knife during a routine search of his residence by a probation officer. Because Frieda has a prior conviction for criminal possession of a weapon, 4th, the charge is elevated to third degree. Freida was jailed without bail.

Jessica L. Polk, 36, of 202 Bank St., Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and endangering the welfare of a child. Polk is accused of pushing and grabbing a child during a domestic incident.

Ann M. Schlegel, 35, Lawrence A. Atkins, 35, and Leon D. Atkins, 16, all from Medina, are charged with petit larceny. The trio is accused of attempting to steal $337.31 in merchandise from Kmart at 5:54 p.m., Sunday.

Scott Dwayne Kingdon, 46, of Sparks Road, Pavilion, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Kingdon is accused of sending e-mails to a person in violation of an order of protection.

Nathaniel L. Beglinger, 21, of Peaviner Road, Alexander, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Beglinger is accused of recklessly causing damage to a building in Darien, causing more than $250 damage, at 12:35 a.m., Dec. 1.

Dennis J. Saporito, 25, of Culver Road, Albion, turned himself in on a bench warrant out of Batavia City Court for alleged driving while ability impaired. Saporito was arraigned and sentenced to 10 days in jail.

Robert Lee Ealey, 26, of Phelps Road, Rochester, Ealey was taken into custody by Rochester PD on a bench warrant issued by Genesee County Court and turned over to the Sheriff's Office. Ealey was held pending arraignment today.

Adam M. Miller, 20, of Oakfield, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Miller is accused of damaging property with a value greater than $250 at 4 a.m., Jan. 1, in the Town of Shelby. Miller was arrested by State Police. No further details released.

Alberto Laboy-Bertran, 74, of North Plymouth Avenue, Rochester, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation and unlicensed operator. Laboy-Bertran is accused of driving at 11:40 a.m., Sunday, with 31 active driver's license suspensions and revocations dating back to 2000. Laboy-Bertran was jailed on $25,000 bail.

Aaron David Prusak, 25, of Park Street, Warsaw, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument and aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd. Prusak was located in a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado at 10:31 p.m., Friday, parked in the roadway of Route 19 in Bergen. Upon investigation by Sgt. Greg Walker and Deputy Joseph Graff, Prusak was allegedly found in possession of a needle and a controlled substance.

Ryan Nicholas DeSantis, 19, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. DeSantis is accused of shoplifting while working at Kmart.

Kyle David Ferguson, 20, of Maltby Road, Oakfield, is charged with petit larceny. Ferguson is accused of shoplifting while working at Kmart.

A large fight is reported outside of the Oakfield Hotel, South Pearl Street, Oakfield.

Multiple law enforcement units are responding.

UPDATE 12:17 a.m.: Two males fighting, crowd gathering.

Timothy L. Taylor, 38, of 219 N. Spruce St., #124, Batavia, is charged with assault, 3rd, criminal obstruction of breathing and reckless endangerment, 2nd. Taylor was picked up by the State Police at a location on West Main Street Road on an unrelated matter Saturday and turned over to the Batavia PD on a warrant for the listed charges. Taylor is also accused of violating the terms of Drug Treatment Court. Taylor was jailed on $5,000 bail for the alleged criminal offenses and $100,000 for the alleged violation of drug court terms. He is schedule to reappear in city court on Dec. 26.

Scott N. Cameron, 30, of 25 Vine St., Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd and endangering the welfare of a child. Cameron is accused of hitting a family member who is under age 17.

Benjamin L. Brade, 30, of 12 Denio St., Batavia, is  charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Brade is accused of violating an order of protection by being under the influence of alcohol while with the protected party.

Carl I. Sherman, 33, of 68 Dix St., Rochester, is charged with aggravated harassment, 2nd. Sherman was picked up by Rochester PD and turned over to Batavia PD on a warrant related to the listed charges. Sherman posted $500 bail.

Emily V. Salvatore, 30, of Bergen, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Salvatore was stopped by State Police at 11:27 p.m., Friday, on Route 31, Albion.

John Lee Smith, 38, of Rose Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, avoiding intersection, failure to keep right, moving from lane unsafely. Smith was stopped at 9:49 p.m., Saturday, on West Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Frank Bordonaro. Smith was allegedly observed avoiding the intersection at River Street and Main Street and not maintaining his lane.

Jeffrey J. Cervone, 44, of Skye Road, Basom, is charged with petit larceny. Cervone was taken into custody by the State Police out of Clarence and turned over to the Sheriff's Office on a bench warrant.

Gary Howard Waters, 35, of East Avenue, Gasport, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18, speed not reasonable and prudent, leaving the scene of a property damage accident and failure to keep right. Waters was arrested following an investigation by Deputy Jason Saile and Deputy Eric Seppala into a motor vehicle accident at 3:03 a.m., Saturday, on Lewiston Road, Oakfield.

Robert A. Barnhart Jr., of Le Roy, was arrested on a warrant by the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office. Barnhart is accused of owing several thousands of dollars in restitution from a prior case.

A hit-and-run accident is reported in the area of Galloway and Lewiston roads.

Law enforcement is looking for a gold Chevy Silverado 1500. The truck is heading north into Oakfield.

The victim vehicle sustained only minor damage.

Mercy Flight was called on two separate incidents in Genesee County after midnight, Friday.

At about 12:15 a.m., a pickup truck reportedly hit a tree on Perry Road just north of York Road. There were two male occupants. One victim was able to get out of the vehicle, but the second victim required a Mercy Flight transport with a possible head injury.

Pavilion fire responded to the Perry Road accident.

At about 12:30 a.m., dispatchers received a report of a woman fallen on Pearl Street. Oakfield fire was dispatched and a short time later, requested Mercy Flight to the scene. A landing zone was set up at the school.

Mercy Flight 5 out of Batavia responded to the Pavilion accident. Mercy Flight 7 out of Buffalo responded to Oakfield.

A comptroller's audit in the Town of Oakfield uncovered what appears to be an accounting error with garbage punch cards.

Some 1,519 cards, with a value of $30,380, are missing.

It doesn't appear that any funds are missing or have been misappropriated, said Town Supervisor Mike Cianfrini, and the comptroller's report doesn't accuse anybody of wrongdoing.

The town has already taken measures to improve controls, according to the report and Cianfrini.

"When we went to the ticket process, it was kind of a work in progress," Cianfrini said. "I don't think proper controls were put in place, and those have since been implemented."

Going forward,

• the town clerk will maintain an inventory record for cards when obtained, distributed to other entities for sale then sold, and will periodically reconcile the card records;
• the board will require waste facility attendants to retain completely used cards to assist in future audits; and,
• the board will audit the punch card records on an annual basis.

The town received 5,000 press-numbered cards for sale to the public in February 2011. The cards sell for $20 each at the town hall, village hall and three local businesses.

At the time of the audit, 1,446 cards had been sold and 2,035 were unsold with 1,519 missing.

Cianfrini said there doesn't appear, however, to be any missing funds.

"Due to the lack of sufficient record keeping, we could not determine the reasons for these gaps," the auditors state.

While there's no accusation of wrongdoing, the auditors do state, "there is no assurance that the unaccounted cards were not sold, lost or stolen."

The discrepancies were found, Cianfrini said, during an audit of the town's entire recording keeping and financial systems.

"When I met with them after this report came out -- they looked at the entire town's financial transactions -- and this was the only issue noted," Cianfrini said. "They were actually impressed with the financial controls in the town."

A possible silo fire is reported at 3869 Drake St. Road in Elba. The location is between Pekin and Weatherwax roads. Elba fire is responding along with mutual aid from Oakfield.

UPDATE 1:13 p.m.: A tanker from the Town of Batavia is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 1:20 p.m. A crew from the Town of Barre in Orleans County is asked to stand by in quarters.

UPDATE 2:16 p.m.: A fire truck from Alabama is called to a draft site on Fisher Road to assist in fighting the silo fire.

Jamie R. Bachorski, 18, of Oakfield, is charged with two counts of burglary, 3rd. Bachorski is accused of stealing two ATVs from a storage shed on Batavia Oakfield Townline Road over the summer. He's also accused of entering a pole barn on Fisher Road and stealing an ATV. Bachorski was jailed on $10,000 bail for alleged violation of probation. The case was investigated by Deputy Tim Wescott, Youth Officer John Dehm and Investigator Roger Stone.

Joseph Thomas Bortie, 41, of Knowlesville Road, Alabama, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, moving from lane unsafely and driving across hazardous marking. Bortie was stopped at 4:28 p.m. Monday on Route 262, Byron, following a report of an erratic driver on westbound Route 262. Deputy Chad Minuto located Bortie's vehicle a short time later near Transit Road. Minuto said he saw Bortie's vehicle cross into the eastbound lane and almost collide with another vehicle. Bortie was taken into custody following field tests. He was released on an appearance ticket.

Jennifer Lynn Sprague, 29, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, is charged with falsely reporting an incident to law enforcement. Sprague was taken into custody on Central Avenue on a warrant for the charge out of Town of Bergen Court. She was released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Roxanne G. Rowe, 25, of Maple Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with animal cruelty and unlawful possession of marijuana. Rowe is accused of trying to harm a neighbor's dog by placing pieces of metal in a meat product and making it available for the dog to eat. At the time of her arrest -- 10:15 a.m., Saturday, by Deputy Brian Thompson -- Rowe also allegedly possessed marijuana.

Lakiesha A. Gibson, 26, of 13 Williams St., Lockport, is charged with disorderly conduct and endangering the welfare of a child. Gibson is accused of shouting obscenities while outside on Thorpe Street at 10:20 p.m., Saturday. Gibson also allegedly refused to remove two children out of the roadway and away from a dispute.

Timothy J. Wenzel, 19, of 13 Harvester Ave., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Wenzel was allegedly seen with a person who is protected by a "stay away" order of protection.

Makeen K. Ithna-Asheri, 52, of 111 State St., Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 2nd. Ithna-Asheri allegedly entered a residence he had previously been advised not to enter.

Danielle M. Stevens, 36, of Ford Road, Elba, is charged with three counts of petit larceny. Stevens is accused of stealing $140 and a gold pendant from a relative's house within a six-week period. Stevens was jailed on $500 bail.

Brenden Kirstipher Steck, 23, of Broadway Road, Darien, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Steck was allegedly found to be the operator of a disabled motor vehicle on Route 20 in Darien at 1:15 a.m., Saturday, by Deputy James Diehl.

Joseph E. Marr, 34, of Attica, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Marr was reportedly involved in a motor vehicle accident at 10:13 p.m. Friday on Keeney Road, Le Roy. He was arrested by State Police.

Santa had a busy day in Genesee County today and I did my best to keep up with him. 

I first found him at the Holland Land Office Museum, where his appearance coincided with the annual Children's Gala. Children made cookies, watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, ate pizza and let Santa in on what presents they'll be dreaming about on Christmas Eve.

Next, I found Santa at Alli's Cones and Dogs in Oakfield. At Alli's, both children and adults whispered in Santa's ear.

Finally, Santa promised the Genesee Sno Packers at their annual open house that their Christmas wish for snow will be granted. He also added all the good children who came to visit him to his long list of boys and girls who will find their desired gifts on Christmas morning.

More photos in the slide show. Parents who wish to purchase prints should click on the "visit gallery" link in the slide show.

Press release:

The Board of Education of the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District has a vacancy on the board. This vacancy will be filled by a special election on Jan. 24.

The newly elected member will serve the remainder of a three-year term set to expire on June 30, 2015.

Qualifications for membership on a school board include:

• Must be able to read and write;
• Must be a qualified voter of the district; that is, a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years of age or older;
• Must be and have been a resident (but need not be a taxpayer) of the district for a continuous and uninterrupted period of at least one year;
• May not have been removed from any school district office within the preceding year;
• May not reside with another member of the same school board as a member of the same family;
• May not be a current employee of the school board;
• May not simultaneously hold another incompatible public office.

All interested candidates are invited to pick up a Petition for Board Member Nomination form from the district office, Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

It's become harder to recruit and retain emergency medical technicians and the manpower shortage has led the Oakfield Fire Department's board to the difficult decision to discontinue its ambulance service.

Department President Mike Ognibene said it would take at least 10 EMTs to run a service that could dependably respond to calls and the department has only three volunteer EMTs now.

Out of about 15 calls for service a month, Ognibene said, the ambulance might roll on one or two calls. He said, as a driver, there are many times he shows up at the fire hall and waits for an EMT who never arrives.

After a couple of minutes of waiting, the call is turned over to Mercy EMS.

“Mercy EMS has done a great job since they’ve taken over (ambulance service in the county)," Ognibene said. "They’ve done a great job of responding, so it benefits us more to be there to help them, which we can do with our rescue truck. Since we don’t have to have an EMT, we can get there fast to assist them with the rescue truck.”

Truck 70 will go out of service at midnight, Dec. 31.

There is a bit of cost savings that goes with discontinuing the ambulance service, and that money can be rolled over into support of the firefighting service, but the biggest issue is manpower.

"My fear all along has been that we start having manpower shortages and that some agencies would discontinue EMS service," said Tim Yaeger, emergency management coordinator for Genesee County.

Losing Oakfield's ambulance, he said, means there's one less rig to roll in any kind of major event where multiple people are hurt.

That's why Genesee County Emergency Services embarked on a recruitment and retention drive earlier this year. The campaign includes media ads, hiring a recruiter and producing marketing products to attract people to volunteer services in firefighting and medical response.

"If anyone has ever thought about becoming a firefighter or EMS volunteer, now is the time to act," Yaeger said.

For an EMT, state mandated training takes close to 200 hours to complete. Ognibene said his department has had a few people sign up for training but not complete it.

It hasn't always been that way said longtime department member Robert Hilchey. 

Oakfield started its ambulance service in 1974, at a time when the only ambulances in the county were owned by St. Jerome's and Genesee Memorial hospitals.

"Some in the department thought we should have an ambulance out in this part of the county, so Oakfield was the first (fire company) to provide ambulance service," Hilchey said.

There was a time when Oakfield had enough EMTs to assign nightly rotation to responders. One crew would be on call from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Monday, another on Tuesday and so on.

Hilchey said members of the department just don't think they can get back to that level of service.

Recruiting new EMTs. however, is critical, Yaeger said, to maintaining levels of service throughout the county.

There are ambulances in Bethany, Le Roy, Byron, Bergen, Darien and Alexander. Those services are important to their communities, but also provide fill-in capabilities in those rare times when all of Mercy's rigs are tied up, and would be essential in a mass casualty type of situation.

With the loss of Oakfield's ambulance, however, neither Ognibene nor Yaeger anticipate any less service availability on a routine basis for the citizens of Oakfield.

Typically, Mercy EMS can roll to Oakfield quickly and, as Ognibene noted, the department still has medic-trained personnel to provide first-aid and basic life support and volunteers can respond to any emergency with the rescue truck.

Hilchey agreed.

"I'm very confident that Mercy EMS has taken over our responsibility and our residents and our taxpayers in the village will not be short changed in any way," Hilchey said.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities in Oakfield and the rest of the county, visit Ready Genesee.

A bit of the Bonduelle food processing property in Oakfield, off Pearl Street, this afternoon, just before the rain started.