Skip to main content

About Us

History

Finger Lakes Ambulance EMS, Inc. began as Walters Ambulance in 1955 and was owned by Ed Walters and his wife Martha. The Walters also operated Walter’s Garage and Auto Repair service in Clifton Springs at 20 Crane Street. Mr. Walters had one Type III (modular) ambulance along with three 1975-76 Cadillac ambulances and employed 25 medics and drivers to answer less than 1,000 calls per year.

In 1986, Mr. & Mrs. Walters sold their business to a group known as Walters Ambulance Service, Inc. In January of 1986, Walters Ambulance purchased Geneva Town Ambulance and combined the two ambulance services. On May 26, 1988, Walters Ambulance Service was purchased by G.W. Lisk and incorporated under the name Finger Lakes Ambulance EMS, Inc. At that time, Finger Lakes Ambulance EMS, Inc. operated with four ambulances, answering approximately 1800 calls annually over the next few years.

In 1993, Mr. Trent Amond, the Director at that time, hired two paramedics who led FLA into a new era. The ALS services were expanded to include all of the operating area in a 20-mile radius of Clifton Springs, 24/7; the first full-time ALS service in the four-county Finger Lakes Region.

In 1997, Mr. Amond left Finger Lakes Ambulance and Operations Supervisor Ken Kelly took up the reins as General Manager and Director of Operations until his untimely death in 2014. During his tenure, the service grew from around 3500 calls in 1997-98 to a volume of nearly 11,000 calls in 2010. Under Mr. Kelly’s leadership, a full-time comprehensive ALS/BLS program along with Mobile Intensive Care (MICU), Special Operations (Disaster Relief Teams), and bariatric patient services were initiated.

Beginning in 2014, the EMS landscape began to change. This provided growth opportunities for Finger Lakes Ambulance EMS, Inc. Today, we employ about (100) employees, and our fleet has increased to include, (16) ambulances (4) Emergency ALS First Response Vehicles, and (1) Physician Response Vehicle.

OUR MISSION

Finger Lakes Ambulance EMS, Inc. Motto: “Patient Focused, Teamwork Driven” This statement encompasses some very powerful words put together that describe what a great EMS service should be and what we strive to achieve in our daily practice.

Mission Statement – Finger Lakes Ambulance EMS, Inc. will focus and continuously strive for excellence in providing Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Services throughout the Finger Lakes Region. This is accomplished through Teamwork and Partnerships with our providers, hospitals, and other emergency services.

VISION
To ignite the passion for providing Excellence in the Emergency Medical Services by empowering our employees and partners to meet the challenges ahead.

CORE VALUES

  • Trust – Firm belief in reliability, truth, ability, and strength of others. Relying on their words and actions.“A team is not a group of people that work together a team is a group of people that trust each other.” -Roger Staubach
  • Integrity – A personal conviction to conduct oneself in an ethical and moral manner in a reliable way.“Choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values simply professing them.” – Brene Brown
  • Duty – Having a commitment to community service by fulfilling one’s role respectfully and without bias.

SERVICE AREA

Communities We Serve

Finger Lakes Ambulance covers about 1,200 square miles in five different counties in New York State. Our services include, among others: Advanced and Basic Life Support First Response, transporting services, Specialty Care Transport, medical transfers, bariatric patient care services, and Special Operations (Disaster Relief Teams).