By Ashley Morris
Star-News
BRUNSWICK COUNTY, N.C. — A pink ambulance in Brunswick County could soon be going back into service.
The Coastline Volunteer Rescue Squad this week picked up a pink ambulance that was once part of the Calabash Volunteer Fire Department. Once the Calabash squad was aquired by the county in 2015, county commissioners gifted the pink ambulance to Coastline.
One stipulation of the gift, though, was that the ambulance stay pink.
The ambulance is wrapped in a bright pink color with a large breast cancer awareness ribbon on each side. Even the driver’s seat is pink.
“It doesn’t have a nickname yet, but folks here are thinking about calling it ‘Cotton Candy,’ ” said Coastline Chief David Robinson.
The idea behind a pink ambulance sporting breast cancer awareness ribbons is that the flashy vehicle will strike up conversations and spread a pro-mammogram message to the community.
“We are all smiles and just really excited because we know so many people are affected by breast cancer, and when you see this on the road it is a reminder to have a mamogram,” Robinson said. “If we save one life we all feel this is totally worth it.”
Brunswick County Emergency Management Director Brian Watts likens the ambulance to a rolling billboard.
And Coastline was sporting pink before “Cotton Candy” ever arrived. He said members of the squad had pink shirts this October to support the breast cancer awareness campaign as well.
Currently the older model ambulance is out-of-service. But according to the county, Coastline has plans to bring the ambulance back into service and get it recertified for emergencies. It will mostly be used as a backup for the other ambulances in service, Robinson said.
As funding becomes harder to come by and Coastline’s existing ambulances get older, Robinson said the addition of the older pink ambulance will make life easier for the squad.
“It will help serve as a back-up ambulance and it will deliver a positive message, so it’s a win-win for everyone,” he said.
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