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MFD readies new ambulance for service
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By DANETTA BARKER Staff Writer
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A shiny red ambulance is the newest part of the emergency medical team at the Maysville Fire Department.
The new vehicle rolled into the fire station early Tuesday afternoon, ready to to be loaded.
"We have always had a white ambulance with red stripes or a white ambulance with orange stripes," said MFD Lt. Joey Greenwell. "Some of the bigger stations have gone to the red ambulances, so when we ordered a new one, we ordered red."
The new color is more like the other fire department vehicles, Greenwell said. He likes the color which he said doesn't look like a private ambulance. Now all the vehicle needs is an inspection and a stock of bandages.
"They come empty," said Greenwell. "They don't even have a stretcher. It's out at Station 2."
The new ambulance comes with everything else. A bench makes an additional place for a second patient, drawers, cabinets and other storage make tucking way those four by four bandages and Band-Aids a cinch.
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| The city of Maysville is adding a new ambulance to its fleet. Firefighters Eric Sutton, Greg Hughes and Joey Greenwell are on hand as the 2005 vehicle arrives at Fire Station One Tuesday morning. It took nearly a year to get the vehicle, which should be in service within two weeks. Terry Prather/Staff |
"We have to fully supply it," Greenwell said. "The state mandates what goes in here."
Monitors show heart and blood pressure readings while a radio at the fingertips of emergency medical technicians and paramedics makes conversation easy.
Greenwell said state inspectors will come out to inspect the vehicle. Everything from warning lights to tongue depressors will be checked.
"When we get the sticker, we can go on the road," Greenwell said. "We should be ready in the next two weeks."
Once an ambulance logs about 100,000 miles, it is time to think about a new one, Greenwell said. Just as this one arrived, Fire Chief Eric Bach began getting ready to order another one. The department buys the trucks from Horton Ambulance in Ohio. Greenwell said the company does a great job customizing the vehicle to suit the department's needs.
"It took us a couple of years but we have ironed out the bugs," Greenwell said of the style the department favors.
A skid-proof floor which comes up on the sides of the storage compartments is a feature Greenwell and the department like. The extra inches of flooring keeps fluids from running under the cabinetry.
"We wash it out after every run, but this is a nice feature," Greenwell said.
Once a week the technicians and medics do their own inspection of the ambulances. They restock and make sure everything which is required is on board.
One of the best features on the vehicle is the automatic snow chain system. With a flip of a switch, chains, which are hooked to the axles, slip over the tires.
"You don't have to get out and put chains on," Greenwell said.
The new ambulance replaces one of the department's four ambulances. The old ambulance will more than likely be given to the Maysville Police Department's S.W.A.T. team, according to Greenwell.
Contact Danetta Barker at Danetta.Barker@lee.net or call 606-564-9091, ext. 272. |
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