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1-24-2008 By MICHELLE MILLER Staff Writer Rich Carr, chair of the fire district commissioners, said the old ambulance was getting "tired," and it seemed like it was time for an upgrade because the company is becoming a lot more active. He said about 80 percent of the department's calls are first response calls. "It (the old ambulance) had reached a point that we would have had to put a lot of money into it, and it just was not worth it," said Carr. The Fly Creek Volunteer Fire Company was able to purchase its new wheels with the help of a $500 donation from members of the Cooperstown American Legion last week, according to fire police lieutenant Jim Wolff. The 1998 ambulance has nicer features because it is 21 years newer than the old ambulance, Carr said. The new ambulance also has four-wheel drive and a diesel engine, which Carr says is "much more efficient." Carr said the new ambulance is in excellent condition, and will serve as a multi-purpose vehicle. Its primary use will be as a first responder vehicle, said Carr, who also said the new ambulance will provide much more needed space for equipment. Carr said the new vehicle will also act as a commanding post for the fire chief at the scenes of fires and as a rehab center, especially in the cold weather. "It should serve us very well," said Carr. First Response Unit Captain Patricia Schultz said the new ambulance will help the first response team arrive and give assistance more quickly. She said since most calls are to remote rural areas in the Fly Creek district, the fourwheel drive will be a much saferávehicle for the squad members to operate. Schultz said she will miss the old ambulance simply because it was the original vehicle when the First Responders was first organized. However, she said it was no longer dependable. Wolff said the 1977 ambulance was the first modernstyle ambulance acquired by the Fly Creek Volunteer Fire Company. Prior to 1977, when the Cooperstown Emergency Squad responded to a call, all they could do was transport their patient to the hospital in their Cadillac ambulance, said Wolff. Wolff said the squad was not able to provide any level of care to patients while en route to the hospital. Wolf said the old ambulance has served its time, and not only for Fly Creek. According to Wolff, the Fly Creek Volunteer Fire Company bought a new ambulance years after the purchase of the 1977 model, and sold its first modern-style ambulance to the Garrattsville Volunteer Fire Department. However, the Garrattsville department sold the ambulance back to the Fly Creek Fire District in the mid 1980s so it could be used by the Fly Creek First Responder Unit. |
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