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Public Safety Commissioner gets to work

EMS advisory board approved and more

Matt Shortall - News Editor
Posted 12/12/17

MONTICELLO — Sullivan County Manager Josh Potosek recently announced the official appointment of Rick Sauer as the new public safety commissioner.

A resident of the Town of Liberty and a …

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Public Safety Commissioner gets to work

EMS advisory board approved and more

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MONTICELLO — Sullivan County Manager Josh Potosek recently announced the official appointment of Rick Sauer as the new public safety commissioner.

A resident of the Town of Liberty and a former NYS Trooper, Sauer brings more than 30 years of public safety, law enforcement and emergency response experience to bear in his new role for the county.

“I like being part of a team and helping people in their time of need,” he affirms. “And I enjoy giving back to the community.”

Sauer began his law enforcement career in 1984 with the Greece Police Department in Rochester and then with the police department in his hometown of Olean. But he became involved in emergency services even earlier, serving as an EMT at age 16 and with the campus rescue team while in college.

He retired in 2016 as a sergeant with New York State Police Emergency Management at Troop F Headquarters in Middletown, where he helped create and command the Contaminated Crime Scene Emergency Response Team (CCSERT) and provided emergency response, planning, evaluation and instruction services throughout the state.

Sauer also served on Troop F's Counterterrorism Intelligence Unit, as an investigator with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and as a Trooper and training officer, receiving a number of awards and commendations for his 29-years of service with the State Police.

In addition to 19 years stationed in Sullivan County, Sauer assisted in the massive police responses to the upstate Dannemora Prison break, Hurricane Harvey in Texas, and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

He possesses a bachelor's in criminal justice from SUNY Brockport and a master's in public administration from Marist College, and Sauer himself has taught state-certification and college-level emergency response, police/community relations and criminal justice courses since 1993. He remains an adjunct professor of criminal justice at SUNY Sullivan and a NYS Fire Instructor.

“This County is my home, and I'm always looking for a challenge,” Sauer said. “I enjoy the adrenaline, the teamwork, and trying different approaches.”

“I am thrilled to welcome to County government someone with the experience and drive of Rick Sauer,” added District 5 Legislator Terri Ward, who chairs the Public Safety Committee of the Sullivan County Legislature. “Time and again, he has demonstrated his commitment to his community and the highest ideals of law enforcement, and I am confident he will compassionately and capably serve the citizens of Sullivan County to his utmost ability.”

A married father of three grown children, Sauer is a longtime resident of Liberty, where he is active as the Liberty Fire Department's assistant chief and an EMT, along with serving on the Liberty Central School District's Safety Team.

County creates EMS advisory board

The County Legislature's Public Safety Committee unanimously passed a resolution last week to convene an EMS advisory board for a period of time not to exceed two months.

County Manager Josh Potosek's 2018 preliminary county budget includes $50,000 set aside to address issues brought up during the county's EMS roundtable discussion.

A main subject of concern during that round table discussion focused on how to attract, train and retain EMS personnel here in Sullivan County.

“We seem to be doing pretty well in terms of response time,” Deputy County Manager Dan Depew explained. “Our average response time in the county is about 13 minutes. It's about 12 minutes in Orange County, so we're not too far off.”

Pending approval of the 2018 budget, the EMS advisory board will be chaired by new Public Safety Commissioner Rick Sauer. All county emergency and safety agencies will appoint one individual to sit on the advisory board.

The advisory board is tasked with making a recommendation to the legislature by April on how to best spend that $50,000 to address EMS issues within the county.

Renew your Pistol Permits.

The majority of pistol licenses in the county have still not been recertified.

There were nearly 4,000 people who recertified their pistol/revolver license in the months of October and November.

While County Clerk Daniel Briggs said we don't know exactly how many pistol/revolver license have been issued in Sullivan County, he estimated it's somewhere in excess of 14,000.

If your license was issued before January 15, 2013, you must submit your recertification by January 31, 2018.If your license was issued on or after January 15, 2013, you will need to submit your recertification five years after the date of issue.

The New York State SAFE Act passed in 2013 requires all pistol/revolver license holders to recertify every five years in order to keep their license. This applies to people who were issued a license before the SAFE Act.

“Come February, if you haven't renewed your license, the administrative court judge is going to direct our judges locally to put out letters telling people that their privileges are lost and they should make arrangements to surrender their guns.”

To begin the process, go to https://firearms.troopers.ny.gov/pprecert and follow the instructions. If you prefer to fill out the form in writing, it's available to be printed at https://troopers.ny.gov/firearms (or at any State Police station) and can then be mailed to the New York State Police, Pistol Permit Bureau, Building 22, 1220 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12226-2252.

Briggs urged those who renew their license to get verification that their renewal has been received and filed. The five-year renewal process in measured from your last date of renewal.

Those with any questions are encouraged to call the County Clerk's office at 845-807-0411.

“We can answer your questions and ensure you do what is necessary to recertify,” Briggs said.

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