By Alexandra Perloe
Sentinel & Enterprise
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All Rights Reserved
FITCHBURG, Mass. — The city’s new Basic Life Support ambulance needed some engine repairs earlier this week, but a different vehicle filled in to cover calls, said Fire Chief Kevin Roy and MedStar Ambulance Director Nick Melehov.
“What happened was the truck was bogging down, you couldn’t get it to go steadily. MedStar immediately sent a backup. We didn’t miss a beat,” Roy said Thursday.
He said that’s part of the advantage of the city’s new contract with MedStar subsidiary Fitchburg Emergency Medical Services: The company’s garage is nearby on Battle Street, and MedStar can send backup vehicles if necessary.
Firefighters are staffing the BLS ambulance, and MedStar paramedics are staffing two Advanced Life Support ambulances. All three vehicles are now housed in Fitchburg fire stations.
The BLS ambulance is a 1999 vehicle, while the ALS ambulances are brand new, Melehov said.
He said it’s “not unheard” of for ambulances to need repairs, especially because “ambulances undergo a lot of strain on the road every day.”
Roy, too, said it’s “standard” for emergency vehicles to break down.
“Our fire trucks break down. The important thing is you’re able to deal with it,” the chief said.
He and Melehov said they’ve actually been pleasantly surprised by the ease of the transition. Firefighters took control of the BLS ambulance Monday morning.
“We were expecting more challenges than we were faced with,” Melehov said. “It was actually seamless, the transition.”