SCIA in 2025
SCIA is a non-profit ambulance located in Poplar Ridge, New York, serving the towns of Genoa, Scipio, Venice and a portion of Ledyard. Our district spans 170 square miles. The rig is staffed 24/7 with paid providers and occasional volunteers. We strive to provide Advanced Life Saving (ALS) coverage 100% of the time.
Ambulance 1 is a Ford 2023 E-450 with a Medix box with a Stryker power loader and stretcher.
Ambulance 2 is a Ford 2017 E-350. A2 is used primarily for non-emergency transports and event standbys.
History
SCIA was formed in 1968 as Poplar Ridge Instant Aid, a part of the Poplar Ridge Fire Department. The all-volunteer squad relied on a phone tree for dispatch and early ambulances were housed in a garage on Poplar Ridge Road behind the current Hazard Library.
HOW WILL INSTANT AID WORK?
Whenever you call for INSTANT AID, a special emergency hookup will ring telephones in several homes at once. This insures that someone will always be on hand to answer your call. Within minutes the designated dispatcher will contact the crew on standby and have the ambulance on its way. - from INSTANT AID A Report to the People c. 1968
In 1999, the ambulance split from the fire department and incorporated as Southern Cayuga Instant Aid. A new building was built down the road from the firehouse. Around 2010, as volunteer involvement waned, SCIA began to hire EMTs to staff the agency.
