Massachusetts Town Scrambles to Get Ambulance

The Board of Selectmen, faced with a situation that suddenly left the town without its own ambulance service, voted in emergency session last night to petition the state Department of Revenue for permission to deficit spend in the ambulance account to replace one of the department's two vehicles immediately.

Town Administrator Robert Reed said the newer of the department's two ambulances was totaled in an accident Nov. 25 in Worcester. The town has been making do with its older ambulance, with occasional help from other communities when there are two calls at one time.

The situation worsened yesterday, when the older ambulance went down with electrical problems.

"Neighboring communities cannot adequately cover the town, and a threat to the health and safety of persons exists," the board said in its announcement of the emergency meeting.

A second problem arose when the board tried to round up enough selectmen to hold the meeting. Although the board has been operating with only four of its official complement of five members since early last summer because of resignations, the quorum needed to hold a meeting is still three and it was late afternoon before three available members - Chairman Thomas V. Brennan Jr., Douglas A. Belanger and Dianna Provencher - were located. The fourth member, Stanley A. Zagorski, was out of town.

On the plus side, Fire Chief Robert F. Wilson, who also serves as Emergency Medical Services director, had been seeking quotes for available ambulances to replace the vehicle involved in the accident and had received quotes on four. One, a new 2006 Medix ambulance from Bert's Emergency Vehicle of Blackstone, was said to be available almost immediately and within the amount of money the town will be receiving from its insurance carrier for the totaled vehicle.

"I have not been able to find a vendor or ambulance company that would lease a vehicle," Chief Wilson said. "Mutual aid is fine for a short period of time. However, it should not be used as a long-term solution."

The three board members at last night's session voted unanimously to seek DOR approval to purchase the 2006 Medix ambulance from Bert's for $85,450.

"We had to take the route of getting permission from the DOR," said Mr. Belanger, "because the only account where we can deficit spend without permission is snow and ice. We have signed the contract to purchase the vehicle, but with the provision that it is dependent on funding."

Mr. Belanger said the town will receive $90,000 from its insurance carrier for the totaled vehicle, but that won't be replaced in its accounts until it is voted at a town meeting, which probably won't happen until early May.

Mr. Belanger said the reason the Medix ambulance will be available shortly is it was ordered by a town or a company that decided against buying it and backed out of the deal after it had been nearly fully prepared for delivery.

"We've been told this ambulance should be ready to go in February," he said. "If it hadn't been available, and we had to go the regular route of obtaining quotes and having one built for us, it would have been summer at the earliest to get a replacement."

The ambulance being replaced was purchased by the town last year. Mr. Reed said it was struck by another vehicle at Cambridge and Southbridge streets in Worcester on Nov. 25 while transporting a patient.

"The ambulance had its light and audio signals operating and had come to a complete stop before proceeding through the intersection," the town administrator said. "The traffic signals were in favor of the other vehicle, but the law requires the driver to allow the emergency vehicle to proceed through as long as its signals are operating, so the other driver was found at fault."

He said the patient being transported came through the accident uninjured and the ambulance driver suffered only minor injuries.