Monticello, NY – Longtime E-911 Coordinator Alex Rau this month was unanimously named as the EMS Coordinator by the Sullivan County Legislature.
“Alex is a top-notch professional, and this County is very lucky to have his services and experience,” stated Legislature Chairman Luis Alvarez. “I am confident he will take our Bureau of Emergency Medical Services – and our entire community of emergency medical responders – to the next level.”
“I am thrilled to be part of the team that appointed Alex to this important and influential role,” District 5 Legislator Terri Ward, chair of the Legislature’s Public Safety Committee, affirmed. “I always felt he was the perfect person for this job, and I look forward to working closely with him in the months to come.”
Rau has been Sullivan County’s E-911 Coordinator for the past 13 years. The Liberty native first became involved in emergency response in high school, finding his interest sparked by a CPR class, among others. At 16, he joined the Town of Liberty Volunteer Ambulance Corps (eventually becoming the Corps’ President) and soon thereafter also signed up with the Livingston Manor Volunteer Ambulance Corps, answering more than 250 calls a year. He became a volunteer EMT in 1992, then a certified paramedic in 1995, employed by Hudson Valley Ambulance.
From 1996-2001, Rau served as one of Sullivan County’s Deputy EMS Coordinators under Don Hopkins, responsible for the towns of Fallsburg, Liberty and Neversink. He was a driving force in establishing American Heart Association training locally, including serving as both a teacher and exam proctor. The desire to raise a family and have a stable career transitioned him to the Sullivan County 911 Center in White Lake in 1996.
“I have been fortunate to enjoy my career working for Sullivan County 911 for the past 23 years with an amazing team of dispatchers and colleagues,” he remarked. “I have worked closely with our County’s Public Safety team, along with local, State and Federal officials, through many disasters and major incidents.”
As EMS Coordinator, Rau will have the authority and responsibility to provide the leadership, support, education and cooperation necessary to enable local EMS agencies to give the best emergency medical care possible. He replaces the late Greg Tavormina, who retired in December, and will soon oversee a team of Deputy Coordinators (each of whom will have responsibility for particular sections of the County).
“I’m looking forward to utilizing my experience in EMS to improve collaboration among the EMS services, both volunteer and commercial, in Sullivan County,” Rau explained. “This will be key, as we all need to work collectively to help rebuild a very fragile EMS system.”
“It’s been my privilege to work with Alex for the past two years, and our collaboration now will be even deeper,” noted Public Safety Commissioner Rick Sauer, under whom Rau will continue to serve as both EMS and 911 Coordinator. “The people of Sullivan County can rest assured that their health and safety are in responsible and highly experienced hands.”
For more on the Sullivan County Bureau of EMS, visit www.sullivanny.us/Departments/EMS. The Bureau also maintains a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/scbems.