Ambulance to Arrive in August
Marshfield, WI (OnFocus) Marshfield Fire & Rescue Department will soon have a 5th ambulance at its disposal.
On Tuesday, Fire Chief Scott Owen completed a mid-point inspection at the Braun Ambulances facility in Van Wert, Ohio. Ambulance 95 is expected to be finished and on its way to Marshfield in mid or late August.
“It was very interesting to see how they take stock material and cut it and form it into the various parts that will eventually become an ambulance,” said Owen. “Once parts are cut and shaped, they are assembled, welded, sanded, primed, and painted.”
Approved last August by the Police & Fire Commission, the new ambulance will become the primary unit for both emergency and non-emergency ambulance calls and will be especially valuable when there are multiple, concurrent calls, or an ambulance is undergoing maintenance.
“Over the last several years we have seen an increase in the amount of times three and four ambulances are out on responses at the same time,” said Owen. “Once the last ambulance leaves the station on a call, we are reliant on Spencer Ambulance, Stratford Ambulance, or Pittsville Ambulance to assist us with mutual aid, if they are available, until our units free up from their calls. This additional ambulance will reduce those times.”
While in Ohio, Owen was able to ensure the design was correct and make minor adjustments if necessary.
“Braun does everything related to building our ambulance, aside from making the chassis, in their facility, from raw material to the finished product,” he said. “We work closely with our dealer to ensure the ambulance we get is what we need to serve our citizens.”
The Type I ambulance is more heavy duty than the others at the station and is also the first 4-wheel drive ambulance. “A couple of times this past winter, crews got stuck in the snow on an ambulance call and had to be towed out,” said Owen. “Hopefully with a 4-wheel, this will not happen in the future.”
The ambulance is about three-quarters completed and Braun is in the process of installing the interior lights, cabinet doors, seats. The department will complete a final inspection later in August to ensure everything is in place and return with it to Marshfield that day.
Once graphics are completed by Stratford Sign Company, the station crew will install the required tools and equipment in the ambulance and then put it into service.
Marshfield Fire & Rescue will complete a similar inspection on its new fire engine, Engine 3, in a month or two at Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton. The current Engine 3 is 34 years old and in need of replacement.
A committee for the ambulance worked with their shifts to put together the best ambulance for the community. The committee consisted of FF/Paramedic Jason Foth, FF/Paramedic Nate McNamara, and FF/Paramedic Lucas Frydenlund. Deputy Chief Steve Bakos provided oversight to the Committee as needed.
Author: News Desk
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