A New Ambulance Joins the Fleet

The Scotch Plains Rescue Squad welcomed a new member to its team Thursday night: an energy-efficient, all-aluminum ambulance.

The vehicle, which cost the squad about $160,000, was recently purchased to replace an older ambulance they had been using for the past five years.

"These rigs get beat up," squad member Tony Robertiello said. "You've got 40 different drivers driving them in 100 different ways. They wear out fast."

The new ambulance is one of the most impressive the squad has had yet.

Previous models didn’t have an all-aluminum body, Robertiello said, which means they didn’t deal as well with the rushed driving. The older models also used more incandescent bulbs.

"This one has more LEDS,” Robertiello said. "It's more energy efficient for us."

The squad now has two ambulances in its fleet. The other is a 2006 model that they hope to have for a few more years.

Their older vehicle, a 2002 ambulance, is being sold to another town rescue squad for about $30,000.

"These things depreciate fast," Squad President Daniel Sullivan said. "It's constantly pounding, every time you're on a call, it's running for a full hour. The tires get beat up, the suspension. If you're out responding to a call, that's the last thing you want to deal with."

The new ambulance was paid for 100 percent with donations given to the squad during fundraisers throughout the year.

The $160,000 price tag might sound expensive, but Sullivan said that’s a good deal as far as ambulances go. That said, the new model came completely bare of necessary ambulance equipment.

“We took all the compartments out of the older one and put them in this one,” Sullivan said. “An ambulance with everything in it would be about $100,000 more.”

The vehicle arrived at the station on Tuesday, so as of Thursday the squad was still adjusting to its new features.

Cadets and EMTs who were scheduled that night were trained on its new features.

"Each one is a little bit different," Robertiello said. "We're still getting used to it, but we'll see how it goes."