Fire district gives green light to new off-road ambulance purchase
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CANFIELD -- The Cardinal Joint Fire District gave approval for the purchase of a new off-road ambulance at its Monday meeting, but the new vehicle will take 17 months to complete.
The new vehicle is a MedStat MS500. It is an enclosed off-road unit that has air-conditioning and more room to work. It is made by ASAP, an Ohio manufacturer of off-road ambulances.
"Our carts right now are all open air," said CJFD Chief Don Hutchison. "This one is enclosed and has air conditioning."
He said the open-air carts are used at the fair and other large events, and are able to maneuver through crowds much faster than a full-size ambulance. It allows the first responders to move a patient to an awaiting ambulance at one of the fair gates. Prior to the carts, a full-size ambulance took a long time to move through the fairground crowds to get to an exit gate.
The drawbacks to the open-air carts are moving a heat stroke victim and caring for the patient. If someone goes down on a hot, muggy day at the fair, they would have to be moved through fair streets without relief from the heat.
The second problem with the carts involves working on a patient. On the open-air cart, the first responder is sitting sideways to the patient. It means twisting and is very hard to provide care.
Hutchison said the MS500 is an enclosed, air-conditioned unit. It also has room for the first responder to face the patient and even stand up within the unit. It is like a full-size ambulance that has been shrunk to fit an ATV frame.
Hutchison said the cost of the MS500 is $88,897, and it would take 17 months to receive after the order is placed.
On a different matter, Hutchison said Springfield Fire Department has asked the district if Squad 103 was going to be sold. The vehicle is a 2010 pumper truck with over 49,000 miles on it.
"The squad could be sold for $85,000," Hutchison said. "Right now we just use it for a spare."
He said the sale of the pumper almost pays for the MS500 vehicle. The board unanimously approved the sale and the purchase.
Hutchison said the pumper will be used during the Canfield Fair and then would be sold to Springfield. The MS500 would be ordered and he said the company would provide a loaner for the fair until the new one is received.
Hutchison also gave his monthly report that included 253 calls for service. Two were for vehicle fires on Ohio 11 and on the Ohio Turnpike. Of the total, 145 were ambulance transports.
"We had one emergency medical call where we had to use Lanes," he said. "The call was in Cornersburg, and it would have taken us far too long to travel around the storm damage to get there."
In other business:
The board approved hiring Will Ferrando to full-time at $25.07 per hour; Joel Wharry to full-time at $25.01 per hour; Jonathan Massett to part-time at $25.01 per hour; and Robert Hill to part-time at $18.53 per hour.