Fallon Ambulance Service Steps Up to Keep Norfolk County Sheriff’s “Are You O.K. ? Program” in Operation

QUINCY, MA, ISSUED SEPTEMBER 15, 2009… Fallon Ambulance Service, the region’s largest independent, family-owned ambulance service provider, has volunteered to become a partner with Norfolk County Sheriff Michael G. Bellotti in the day to day operations of the sheriff’s highly successful “Are You O.K.?” program after budget shortfalls threatened to eliminate the program.

Fallon Ambulance has stepped in to keep the community program in operation. The program began in 2001 and is a valuable in-home service for senior citizens living alone. Each registered senior receives a personal, automated phone call every day at a specified time to check on their well being. There are currently more than 280 seniors from 26 Norfolk County communities who are registered and receive the calls each day. There have been 59 cases where assistance was needed by a senior citizen since Sheriff Bellotti started the program.

The calls will now come from the Fallon Ambulance Service Dispatch Center. An officer from the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office monitors the calls during the week, and Fallon staff members monitor the calls during weekends and when the Norfolk officer is on vacation. If the participant fails to answer the phone or if the staff detects that something is amiss during the call, emergency help can be sent to the home immediately.

The new partnership already has saved the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office more than $70,000 in personnel and equipment costs this year alone.

“We are grateful that Fallon Ambulance has donated their resources to keep this important community program in place,” said Sheriff Bellotti. “The program allows elderly folks to feel confident and safe while maintaining their indepedence by living in their own homes. Fallon has an excellent reputation for emergency response. We’re very fortunate to be involved in this partnership with Fallon.”

“When we heard the program was in jeopardy we knew we wanted to do whatever we could to keep it running,” said Peter Racicot, Senior Vice President of Fallon Ambulance Company. “As the primary 911 provider for towns and cities across the area we were often the first on the scene when a senior citizen needs help. When time is of the essence it is important that our seniors are checked in with on a daily basis. We look forward to working with the participants and our local communities to keep them well cared for.”

About Fallon Ambulance

Fallon Ambulance Service traces its beginnings to 1923 when James R. Fallon, Sr., established the company; it remains a family-operated business to this day. Mr. Fallon’s son, James R. (Ray) Fallon, Jr., served as President and owner from 1974 until his death in 2002. Today, Ray’s son Timothy J. Fallon serves as President and Owner. Tim’s step brothers, Peter Racicot, Senior Vice President and Normand Racicot, Vice President, also work to represent the third generation of the Family Business. Fallon Ambulance employs more than 700 personnel, and operates more than 150 vehicles. Fallon Ambulance is the 9-1-1 provider for the municipalities of Milton, Quincy, Brookline, Weymouth, Braintree and Dedham and provides primary backup to Boston and Randolph. Fallon Ambulance provides medical transportation for Partners HealthCare, which includes the world-renowned institutions of Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as two Partners community hospitals, Faulkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain, and Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Ma.

Fallon Ambulance Service additionally provides medical transportation for a number of area medical facilities including nursing homes, hospitals, and HMO’s throughout Greater Boston. In addition to its headquarters at 111-115 Brook Road, West Quincy, the company operates satellite offices throughout its coverage area. Fallon Ambulance Service is a several-time recipient of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce’s “Success Profile,” and the “local heroes” award by the South Shore Community Action Council. For additional information about Fallon Ambulance Services or programs that the company offers, contact Peter Racicot, Senior Vice President, at (617) 745-2117 or visit www.fallonambulance.com.