Wheels Across the Border: Department Donates Paramedic Unit

The residents of Back Bay in New Brunswick, Canada, who see the phrase "Pride of Eastport" stretched across the front of the bright red emergency vehicle might think it's from nearby Eastport, Maine.

But this paramedic unit - an ambulance with extra lifesaving equipment - is from the Eastport Volunteer Fire Co. in Annapolis.

The company has donated the equipment to the Fundy Bay Volunteer Fire Department, and locals were expected to leave today to deliver it to their neighbors to the north.

"These guys needed a utility vehicle in that department and this will come in handy," said Dave Shelton, a civilian fire inspector for the city.

The 1991 Medtec paramedic unit was part of Eastport's fleet until the company raised enough money from the community to replace it in June 2005. It was a reserve unit until October.

The company put it up for sale for $4,000 and a group of people from Fundy Bay came down to take a look at it, but worried the unit, which had racked 104,000 miles, could have problems.

They were right.

"It was right up there," said Betty Lou Pilkerton, president of the Eastport Volunteer Fire Co., pointing a few blocks away from the back of the firehouse, "and the transmission went kaput."

Mrs. Pilkerton said the company dropped the price to $2,000 because of the repairs needed.

The Fundy Bay department couldn't afford the repairs and the equipment, so the Eastport company decided to donate the unit to the Canadian department at its December meeting.

Mrs. Pilkerton said the company had thought about donating the unit to domestic neighbors who lost equipment in Hurricane Katrina last year.

"They couldn't pay to have it fixed, and neither could we," Mrs. Pilkerton said.

The Fundy Bay department paid $3,500 to have the transmission repaired in the unit and is covering the cost of transporting it to Canada.

Mr. Shelton said the Fundy Bay department plans to transform the paramedic unit to a vehicle to carry fire equipment. He said the vehicle could last the Canadian department, which also handles calls just over the U.S. border, 10 to 20 years.

"We might have 14 calls a day, they might have 14 calls a year," Mrs. Pilkerton said.

Fundy Bay Fire Chief Jason Hatt said the Eastport donation is replacing a unit from 1980.

"The boys are really excited," he said.

Mr. Shelton, of Annapolis, and Firefighter-Paramedic John Muhitch, of Arnold, are going up on their days off to deliver the vehicle.

"I'm just going along for the ride to help a fellow firefighter out," Mr. Muhitch said.

Since Back Bay is experiencing subzero temperatures, they have outfitted the unit with plenty of antifreeze.

"They're going to have a cold trip," said Mayor Ellen O. Moyer at the Eastport firehouse yesterday afternoon.

"At least the heater works," Mr. Shelton replied.

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