By Melanie Petrucci, Senior Community Reporter
Northborough – The Northborough Fire Department took delivery of a new ambulance Nov. 8, as part of the six-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) which was approved at the Annual Town Meeting in April.
Town Meeting approved funding in the amount of $315,000 which was to cover the ambulance and extra equipment.
“The community here is incredibly supportive of what we ask for, but then we don’t ask for something that we don’t need,” said Fire Chief David Parenti.
He explained that when the ambulance was put into rotation, it became Medic 1 – the primary of the department’s three ambulances.
“As we came up to [the purchase], we formed a committee. I’m a big believer in that the people who are using the trucks should be involved in designing the truck,” Parenti stated.
Requirements included four-wheel drive and more headroom inside for taller paramedics.
After looking at many ambulances in neighboring communities to compare features, the committee came back with their list of requirements.
“One of the big things they did was to downsize the ambulance. If you look at our old ambulance, it’s a big ambulance. We downsized back to a pick-up style. It’s a much smaller truck as far as the cab goes and the way it’s built but it’s a much better ride for both our people and for the patients,” he continued.
There is quite a bit of technology in this ambulance that includes a much more secure medical vault that can be monitored wirelessly and can be tracked when it is being opened, by whom and with multiple layers of security.
Another asset is a fully power loaded automatic stretcher.
“One back injury can cost the community a ton of money for the guy being out, all the insurance, and backfilling the position. We already had powered cots where you could push a button and lift them up but you still have to pick up the cot when you go to put it inside [the ambulance.] This new system eliminates all of that,” Parenti noted. “It’s a one-person operation.”
The stretcher alone costs $50,000. However, Parenti said that they were able to re-use some of their equipment.
“I like to reuse stuff if I can. So we were able to reuse two radios but we had to put in one new. It’s a Motorola radio that is multi-band multi-channel… with one radio I can talk to Marlborough, Westborough and Shrewsbury,” he remarked.
The design of this ambulance will serve as the template going forward. It also incorporates a new color scheme of red, gold and black striping as the department undergoes new branding.
“The guys love it; it is running very well,” Parenti said. “Uncharacteristically, we haven’t received a lot of complaints.”
Photos/Melanie Petrucci