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09/28/2021 01:05 PMThe Town of Essex recently allocated $285,000 from the town’s share of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant funds for ambulance services. The funds will go toward the purchase of a new ambulance and a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instrument, or LUCAS device, which provides automated, mechanical chest compressions for patients that are unresponsive or suffering a cardiac arrest.
The town’s oldest ambulance, a 1994 Horton, will be replaced. Harsh chemicals used for cleaning during the COVID-19 pandemic were the main culprits of significant wear and tear on the ambulance, according to Essex Ambulance Chief of Service Judith Reynolds.
“Many of the cleaning agents we were able to source during the pandemic were much harsher on our electronics and ambulance surfaces in general, which led to accelerated deterioration of those surfaces,” said Reynolds in an email. “While extremely effective, they were more caustic than our usual products.”
Reynolds said that trauma related calls decreased at the height of the pandemic, yet “seriously sick calls increased.”
“I do think, personally, we saw sicker patients because there was a fear of going to the emergency room and being exposed to COVID, so they waited until their symptoms were more severe,” she continued.
Although not all of the sick calls were due to COVID-19, without confirmation of a negative test prior to arriving on-site, emergency responders wore full personal protective equipment for each call.
There was also a “thorough decontamination of the ambulance to protect the patient and crew,” said Reynolds, who adds that “none of our members chose to step away from duty during the pandemic and none of our members acquired COVID on duty.”
The town plans to contract with the custom ambulance manufacturer American Emergency Vehicles (AEV), which is based in North Carolina, for its new ambulance, which will be on a Dodge chassis.
“We have chosen a four-wheel drive truck chassis, which allows for safer transports during the winter months,” said Reynolds.
There will also be upgrades to the ambulance’s communications capabilities and safety features.
“Safety technologies are constantly evolving and improving, the new ambulance will bring us up to current safety standards for both the patient and crews,” said Reynolds. “Communications improvements will enhance our ability to speak with receiving facilities and the dispatch centers.”
Specialized decontamination features will be included in the new vehicle, such as the ability to purify the air and disinfect surfaces using a device plugged into the patient compartment or installed in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning compartment.
The town anticipates receiving the ambulance in an eight-month time frame. Once it arrives, it will join two other ambulances in the town’s fleet, a 2003 Horton model and a 2009 AEV model.
The funds for the new ambulance and LUCAS device were approved at a special town meeting on Sept. 1.
“Without the grant funding we would have been unable to consider an ambulance replacement for at least the next two years,” said Reynolds. “Our corps is extremely grateful for this opportunity.”