MATTAWAMKEAG, Maine — The town’s new ambulance is used, but new enough to guarantee probably several years of low-cost use, Fire Chief Robert Powers says.
The 2006 International ambulance arrived last week and was immediately placed into service. It replaced a 1996 McCoy Miller ambulance “that was slowly dying on us with the age and wear and tear on it,” Powers said.
“It is a lot bigger, a lot more spacious, than the old one, and actually it has a lot smoother ride,” Powers said.
Maintenance of the old ambulance was a steadily increasing drain of time and money, Powers said.
Residents voted during a town meeting in July to buy the ambulance, which cost $55,000 and has about 100,000 miles on it, Powers said. The ambulance was purchased out of Ohio by a Bangor company for the Mattawamkeag Fire Department, Powers said.
“It’s just super,” Powers said. “It has a lot bigger box on it, a lot more room for equipment, and it’s a lot more comfortable than the old one was.”
The ambulance company of seven emergency medical technicians and six drivers handles about 140 calls a year, Powers said.
It services the residents of Mattawamkeag, Winn, Kingman and Prentiss, usually delivering patients to Lincoln’s Penobscot Valley Hospital or Millinocket Regional Hospital for emergency care.