NORTHFIELD — Thanks to a favorable annual town meeting vote last year, Northfield Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has a shiny new ambulance.
The ambulance, a 2017 Ford F-550 which was put into service last week, is replacing a 1993 Ford that had grown mechanically unreliable, according to Northfield EMS Chief Mark Fortier.
“It was just old and tired,” Fortier said of the old ambulance. “A little bit of rust, a lot of wear and tear. We were starting to have to put more and more money into it to keep it running.”
For example, Fortier recalled having to charge the old vehicle’s battery upon arrival to the hospital, and having difficulty navigating hills and during snow storms since it was two-wheel drive. A2’s replacement, Fortier said, provides Northfield EMS with “a more reliable, stable platform to work from.”
“In EMS, the ambulance is our office,” he said. “Having a mechanically sound vehicle is crucial to what we do … Thankfully the town identified it was truly a necessity to have that vehicle.”
Residents approved the ambulance purchase during last year’s annual town meeting. It cost about $255,000 in all, Fortier said.
“It’s well worth it,” he noted. “We expect this vehicle to last at least the next two decades, maybe three.”
Fortier custom-ordered the ambulance through Greenwood Emergency Vehicles out of North Attleboro, which in turn sent the specifications to a manufacturer in Ohio. In addition to being four-wheel drive, the new ambulance features several improvements on the old one.
“There’s a lot of advanced safety features that go with this truck that obviously weren’t in existence in 1993,” Fortier said.
In particular, an automatic load system allows emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics to put a patient and stretcher into the ambulance or remove them without having to lift the stretcher. This eliminates the risk of resulting back problems that many EMTs and paramedics suffer, Fortier said.
“I could put (a patient) in and out of that vehicle with literally one finger,” he continued.
The vehicle is also more environmentally friendly, using clean diesel technology, an enhanced heating and cooling system that utilizes earth-friendly fluids, and a solar panel on the roof that helps charge its battery on sunny days.
Plus, Fortier said Northfield EMS’ new addition is simply something its 21-member staff can all be proud of.
“It helps build a little morale within the department,” he said. “Having good equipment helps motivate good people.”