Crime & Safety
Special Town Meeting to be Held for New Ambulance
The Ellington Volunteer Ambulance Corps has a need for a new ambulance so a meeting will be held to discuss and vote on the appropriation of $200,000 for the new vehicle.
On Oct. 15, the town of Ellington will hold a special town meeting to discuss and vote upon an appropriation for $200,000 to purchase a new ambulance.
The meeting will take place at 7:15 p.m. in the Ellington Town Hall.
According to Ellington Volunteer Ambulance Corps President and Chief Peter Hany, the new ambulance would replace the 2006 ambulance that has being giving the department a lot of problems.
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At a recent Board of Selectmen meeting, Hany told the board that Monday through Friday, the day crew uses the 2006 ambulance and the 2010 is the backup. He added that EVAC is trying to use the older ambulance as much as possible to keep it running.
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When the 2006 ambulance fails, there is no backup ambulance for the 2010 – other than calling for mutual aid.
Hany said that the department is in the 800 calls per year range, but that there was a high two years ago with 960 calls. He said he feels that this number will be topped this year.
With the rising call volume, and several back-to-back calls where both ambulances are in use, it is critical to have two ambulances.
According to Hany, the plan is to have the 2010 ambulance run until 2016 and that it is expected that the ambulances will be turned over before they start to cost a lot in repairs.
Hany said that the $200,000 is adequate and provides a little bit of cushion for unanticipated costs.
If the vote is yes, the department will then go out to bid. Hany said that a spec package has been put together and that they are ahead of the game because they like the 2010 ambulance so they will use that plan with some minor tweaks.
According to Hany, the old ambulance may not go to waste. He said that the dealer can take it and refurbish it and sell it to other places in the country, or even out of the country. He said a previous one was sold and shipped overseas.
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