By Bob Batz
Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
Copyright 2006 Dayton Newspapers, Inc.
Bob and Evon Colucci are cups of hot coffee and cool, wet towels when emergency workers need them most.
For 25 years, the Coluccis have provided a helping hand to Dayton area firefighters, emergency medical personnel and police officers with their Montgomery Rehab and Rescue Unit.
During that span, the Farmersville couple — supported by their own money, donations and fundraisers such as spaghetti suppers and car washes — hit the road at all times of the day and night to respond to fire and accident scenes, where they took blood pressures of emergency workers and provided water, coffee and towels.
Then it was 2005, and the Coluccis’ well-traveled 1971 Chevrolet Horton ambulance was on its last legs. It had 60,000 miles on its odometer, the brakes were shot and rust holes were showing where metal used to be. The estimated cost of repairs exceeded $5,000.
“We seriously considered calling it quits, and then the miracle happened,” Bob Colucci said. “Members of the Miami Twp. Fire Department had helped support us for a long, long time and their fire and EMS Chief David Fulmer called to say department members had voted to donate their surplus 1996 Ford McCoy/Miller ambulance to us.”
“The new rig is taking a little time to get used to, but we’re doing what we love to do again,” he said.
The idea for the service came to them in the late 1960s.
“The Lord,” the former firefighter said, “is our chief and we are his understudies. We have to help our fellow men and women when they are helping other people. When our old rig died and we were thinking about packing it in, God told us ‘No, don’t do it,’ and he was right, because shortly after that we received the vehicle from Miami Twp.”
The Coluccis - he’s 69, she’s 67 - monitor radio calls. When they hear of an emergency that might require their services, they go to the scene.
Their new vehicle, like their old one, carries food, drinks, tools, oxygen, safety cones and other items that might be needed at fires and accidents.
It’s easy to spot the rig at fire and accident scenes because of the words “Godfather” and “Godmother” stenciled on the doors.
The Coluccis still have the 1971 Horton ambulance and plan to restore it to its original condition.
I’ll never forget the day I met the Coluccis back when I was a rookie firefighter with the Brookville Fire Department.
It was a stormy night and we were mopping up after a structure fire when I happened to peek into the back of their vehicle and spotted a picture of Jesus hanging on the wall behind the cot.
“Does that help?” I asked Bob.
“It sure doesn’t hurt,” he replied.