DELMAR — City & State magazine has selected Delmar resident and
Delmar-Bethlehem EMS Chief Steven Kroll as one of its 50 most distinguished public servants in New York.
Kroll will be profiled in the magazine’s Special January “50 Over Fifty” edition, as well as at a virtual reception on Tuesday, Jan. 26th.
“It makes me proud of what I have done,” said Kroll, who has been an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) since 1982 and has made substantial contributions to emergency medical services across New York State.
Kroll has served as executive director and chief for DBEMS since 2008. It’s been a crucial time period for the local ambulance service. Its two houses spread across a developing Bethlehem. One, across Route 9W from A.W. Becker Elementary, covers a swatch of growing developments in Selkirk and South Bethlehem. Its new Delmar house on Adams Street, allowing the service to move out of its shared space with Delmar Fire Department, lends emergency crews to as far as North Bethlehem – another burgeoning neighborhood.
Delmar-Bethlehem EMS has been widely recognized amongst ambulance services for its
innovative hybrid approach to staffing. Paid providers, in partnership with the Albany County
Sheriff’s Department EMS Unit, staff its ambulances from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 75 DBEMS
volunteers provide evening and overnight coverage.
The agency responds to nearly 4,000 emergency calls per year. Its volunteers contribute over 15,000 hours per year, resulting in a savings to Town of Bethlehem residents of nearly $6 million since 2013. DBEMS won Agency of the Year for the Hudson-Mohawk Valleys for both 2012 and 2018.
In addition to his leadership role with DBEMS, Kroll serves as the Chair of the Hudson-Mohawk Regional Emergency Medical Services Organization, which coordinates emergency medical services throughout six counties in New York’s Capital District. He has also served as Legislative Committee Chairperson for the NYS Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association and as the state Advocacy Coordinator for the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians.
Kroll said he seldom sits and serves a role, a notion backed by current County Legislator Joanne Cunningham. Cunningham served under Kroll while the two worked as lobbyists with Healthcare Association of New York State. He was one of her first bosses. She described him as “an incredible teacher” who was “intensely devoted to the job.”
“If I had to choose someone to be in the trenches with on any project, Steve is at the top of the list,” said Cunningham. “Steve Kroll is well deserving of this recognition. He is smart, strategic, dedicated and one of the hardest working people I know. He is also an exceptionally nice guy, with a giant heart that guides him to always do the right thing, an incredibly important quality especially in public service. Congrats to Steve on this important recognition.”
Kroll’s previous awards include the Braun Industries’ EMT of the Year Award as well as the Harriet C. Weber EMS Leadership Award. A co-worker quietly nominated him for this latest distinction. Something Kroll said he cherishes as it comes from a relatively new relationship.
“It makes me hope that I can continue doing it for both the good of the community and the good of the world, and to set an example.” said Kroll.