The following message was provided by Catskills Hatzolah for the community:

We hope that everyone had a happy and safe Shabbos Nachamu and Visiting weekend in the Catskills. A tremendous amount of planning went into ensuring the safety, security, travel, and medical care of the residents and visitors in the Catskills region. B”H everything went well.

With the numerous other Sullivan County concerts and festivals that took place over the weekend, hundreds of people from various Federal, State, County, and Local agencies spent many hours to ensure the weekend was uneventful. Some of those agencies include:

New York State Police; New York State OEM; New York State DOT; New York State DOH, Bureau of EMS; New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control; New York State Office of Interoperable and Emergency Communications; Sullivan County Office of Emergency Management; Sullivan County Bureau of Fire; Sullivan County Bureau of EMS; Sullivan County Sherriff’s Office; Sullivan County 911 Dispatchers; Various other Sullivan County Government Agencies; 2nd CST-WMD, National Weather Service; Local Police, Fire, and EMS Agencies; and the area Hospitals.

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A special thank you is due to the following individuals who were responsible for the planning and addressing of the weekend’s public safety concerns at the various events throughout Sullivan County. They gave special consideration to the Shabbos Nachamu and Visiting Day concerns, with special emphasis on making sure that traffic flowed smoothly:

Captain Christopher T. Zaba, Zone Commander, NYSP Troop F Zone 1.
Rick Sauer, Sullivan County Commissioner of Public Safety
John Hauschild, Sullivan County Fire Coordinator
Alex Rau, Sullivan County EMS Coordinator/E911 Coordinator

The tremendous dedication and commitment that they have for the residents and visitors of Sullivan County, and to the Jewish Community as a whole, is unparalleled.

We would also like to thank Chaveirim of Catskills, Chaveirim of Kiryas Yoel, and the Bloomingburg Community for preparing to assist and host any stranded travelers before Shabbos.

Catskills Hatzalah as well as the Public Safety Agencies involved in the planning and preparing of the area events are genuinely appreciative of the community’s support in following the travel guidance that was issued and leaving to the Catskills early before Shabbos, ensuring a smooth commute for everyone. Thankfully, traffic was lighter than expected and everyone arrived in time for Shabbos.

Catskills Hatzalah had 18 Ambulances in service over the weekend (up from the usual 15), strategically stationed throughout the Catskills and ready to assist the community. We wish to thank Boro Park Hatzolah, Williamsburg Hatzolah, and the Midtown Division for graciously loaning Catskills Hatzalah the additional three ambulances for the weekend. Catskills Hatzalah leadership was also present at the Sullivan County Emergency Operations Center throughout the weekend, ensuring an open line of communication with the various agencies.

Last but certainly not least, a tremendous thank you to the hundreds of dedicated Hatzalah members and dispatchers who responded to the many emergency calls that occurred over the weekend, as they do throughout the summer and beyond.

We wish you a safe, happy, and peaceful remainder of the summer.

Sincerely,

Coordinators of Catskills Hatzalah

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)