The Monroe Courier
MONROE, Conn. — Volunteers for the town’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) department are accustomed to handling emergencies, but with three deteriorating ambulances and no funding for new ones, the crew is faced with an urgent matter that medical skills can’t cure.
According to EMS Chief Don Smith, each of the department’s three ambulances has its own maintenance issues, the majority of which have to do with the vehicles’ old age. Although ambulances are always purchased brand-new, their purpose requires “hard use,” in all seasons and conditions, and after a few short years, the vehicles begin to decline rapidly.
EMS currently owns one 2005 and two 2009 ambulance models. According to EMS vehicle maintenance chair Carl Zinn, the 2005 vehicle has more than 100,000 miles on it, while the other two have 75,000 and 49,000 miles. As if the excessive mileage didn’t take enough of a toll, Zinn said, the 2005 model has also withstood more than 4,000 hours of idling time — double what is expected of a vehicle with 100,000 miles on it — which doesn’t register in its mileage.
Read full story: Deteriorating ambulances causing headaches for EMS