East Side fire and EMS: It’s time for a new approach

My name is Don Braim and I’m a candidate to be the next Commissioner of Public Safety for the City of Saratoga Springs. I served as a member of the Saratoga Springs Police Department for 22 years, retiring as a Criminal Investigator. I then spent 20 years working at the Saratoga Casino and Raceway as Director of Security, retiring as Senior Vice President of Operations.

In the Saratoga Springs Police Department, I led a Special Investigations Unit combating the scourge of illegal drugs. The key to our success was based on strong coordination within our unit and interdepartmental cooperation with a range of other local, state, and federal agencies.

At the Saratoga Casino and Raceway, I managed over 200 employees, while overseeing the safety of 2 million guests every year, along with 1,100 horses and over 700 horsepersons. As with my career in the Police Department, my work at the Raceway depended on fostering coordination and cooperation, in short – teamwork.

I think teamwork is needed to address the concerns of our citizens on the East Side of Saratoga Springs regarding emergency services. The most recent ef-fort to accomplish a land swap in order to obtain property for an East Side fire station was mired in controversy from the start. I believe there was insufficient coordination and cooperation with all the necessary stakeholders to reach a con-sensus plan that was affordable, effective, and workable. To put it plainly, the teamwork just wasn’t there.

I’d like to see a fresh start to address the need for emergency medical ser-vices for our East Side residents. In order to begin this process, I recently met with representatives of the homeowners associations of Water’s Edge,Summer Wind, Oak Brook, and Regatta View. The members of those associations are the people most affected by this issue. I have also discussed this matter with mem-bers of the Saratoga Springs Fire Department.

When elected, I will do my very best to coordinate with the other Council Members to address the need for improved emergency medical services on the East Side. I will seek the cooperation of my fellow Commissioners and the Mayor in this effort. If we work as a team, all the stakeholders, both public and private, will be able to develop the emergency services that we need.

I say this knowing that all members of a team don’t always agree, and that consensus building doesn’t equal unanimity. Despite this, I will use my 22 years of work in the Police Department and over 20 years of private sector experience to coordinate the efforts of all the parties involved and seek their cooperation. As a team, we will succeed in creating an affordable, effective, and workable solution to address the emergency services needs of the citizens of our East Side.

I would consider it a great privilege to be the next Public Safety Commissioner of Saratoga Springs. I humbly ask for your vote on November 7.