Lights, colorful stripes make vehicle stand out

Friday, February 5, 2010

By ROBERT MICHAELSON

Correspondent

The Brookline Ambulance Service has a new ride with plenty of features to ensure the safety of medical volunteers, patients and drivers.

The new ambulance, a 2009 Ford F-450 model, has been in operation since October and will be the primary emergency vehicle for the towns of Brookline and Mason, while the 2005 model will be used as a backup, according to service director Wes Whittier.

The new vehicle has four-wheel-drive, five-point restraints on all the seats, and a tire pressure notifier to increase safety. It also features a reflective chevron design inside and outside of the rear doors to increase visibility on the road.

Whittier said the red/yellow inverted “V” stripes on the doors will help prevent drivers from crashing into the vehicle at night. The chevrons are also present inside of the side doors to assist volunteers getting in and out of the vehicle.

These designs have been used in Europe for some time, but are only recently being used by the United States.

“It shows up very well at night, it leads people away from the ambulance,” said Whittier.

The new ambulance wasn’t cheap. It was approved last March and cost $141,289.53, according to Whittier. The town used $100,000 from the capital reserve over two years to make the payment. The 1995 model was traded in for $2,800.

The Brookline Ambulance Service looks to buy a new ambulance every 10 years because after a while it becomes difficult to get parts for older ambulances.

Whittier said it is better to buy a new vehicle rather than put money into maintaining an older vehicle. He also is glad that they bought the vehicle last year, since upcoming government regulations will make the vehicles more complex.

Medical equipment from the 1995 model was removed and put into the latest model, which is done for every new vehicle.

“There is no sense in throwing stuff away,” said Whittier, “I don’t live in Brookline, but I treat their money like its mine.”

The Brookline Ambulance Service is one of the few ambulance services that does not charge for its services and all of its members are volunteers.

Other pieces of new equipment, including a stretcher and a stair chair, were bought using donations.

The ambulance team went out on 333 calls last year and have gone on about 30 calls so far this year. Those looking to volunteer can contact Wes Whittier at 672-6216, ext. 223, or by e-mail at wes@brookline.nh.us