Rescue, Inc. Unveils Newest State-of-the Art Ambulance

Rescue Inc. Unveils Newest, State-of-the-Art Ambulance

BRATTLELBORO, VT—Rescue Inc. has placed into service a brand-new, state-of-the-art ambulance that will deliver improved safety for responders while operating more efficiently, and with less pollution, than older units in the organization’s fleet.

“We looked for simplicity in every aspect of outfitting the vehicle, so that there would be fewer maintenance issues,” said Mark Considine, Rescue’s chief of operations.
Among the new features incorporated into the ambulance, according to Considine, are the following:


• Safety: A seat in the patient-care bay mounted on a sliding track, so that the EMT can be fully strapped in, but remain mobile in order to work on the patient with all essential supplies and equipment within arm’s reach.
• Environmental benefits: new exhaust and emission controls that significantly cut pollution from the diesel engine
• Better fuel mileage: The organization is still testing, but hopes to achieve 14 miles per gallon of diesel fuel in this vehicle, compared with 6 miles per gallon, on average, in the rest of the fleet.
• Simplicity: toggle switches in the dashboard for lights and sirens, which are easier to operate by touch than the alternative electronic controls, safer to use while driving, and inexpensive to replace individually with off-the-shelf components as opposed to replacing complete electronic circuit boards
• Renewable, low-depreciation design: the ambulance is designed for a 15-year useful life, and at the end of that period, the back of the ambulance can be renovated and remounted on a new chassis.
• Visibility: Bright reflective diagonal orange striping on the rear for enhanced safety

Rescue invested $132,132 to acquire the new vehicle, which is a 2011 Osage Super Warrior model built on a General Motors 3500 chassis. It was purchased from Cromwell Emergency Vehicles of Clifton Park, N. Y., and manufactured by Osage Ambulances of Linn, Mo.

Funding came from a $25,000 challenge grant from the Thomas Thompson Trust that was matched with more than $30,000 from Rescue’s annual appeal, membership subscriptions, memorials and general contributions, plus $5,000 from a bequest and $43,000 from the organization’s reserve funds. In addition, a loan of $29,000 was applied to the purchase.

Considine credited two Rescue staffers with researching and developing the specifications for the ambulance: Drew Hazleton, a captain and paramedic, and Christopher Fellows, an EMT intermediate.

The ambulance being replaced will be retained as a reserve vehicle, Considine said. “The advantage of that is that it gives us bench depth for maintenance cycles, such as when the new truck is out of service for major work.” Rescue has a total of seven paramedic-equipped ambulances, of which five are based in Brattleboro and two in Townshend.

Collectively, the fleet travels 120,000 miles per year. The new ambulance will generally be the first one sent out, and is expected to log 20,000 to 30,000 miles annually.

Rescue Inc. is an independent non-profit organization. It serves a total of 15 towns — 13 in Windham County and two in New Hampshire. In additional to handling more than 5,000 emergency responses per year, Rescue annually trains about 1,000 people in various skills including first aid and CPR, promotes child safety through its Windham County Safe Kids Coalition, and operates a Technical Rescue Team that provides high-angle and swift-water rescue services.

The Thomas Thompson Trust, established in 1867, makes grants to charitable organizations in Windham County, Vermont and Dutchess County, New York, with particular emphasis on healthcare and other social services.

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CONTACT INFORMATION:

Lynn Barrett, President, Primetime Concepts, Inc. — prime@svcable.net — 802-258-3992