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A Newsletter by the City of Saco, Maine	October, 2009	Return to newsletter index

Saco's new rescue almost ready for service

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Final dealer preparations including lettering and equipment installation are being completed on the Fire Department's new ambulance by the dealer in Bangor.

The new ambulance was ordered last February and is a based on the same design as the 2007 Rescue 1 currently in service. The new 2009 Braun rescue will replace Rescue 2, a 2001 Wheeled Coach truck which has 103,000 miles and 9100 hours on the hour meter. Rescue vehicles spend long periods idling at the scene or at the hospital. The 9100 hours would equate to over 270,000 miles based on industry standards.

The new rescue has several new safety features to protect both patients and rescue personnel should the vehicle be in an accident. The total cost of the new rescue is $154,124 and the city received a trade of $8,000 for the 2001 vehicle. The cost of the rescue is covered by a dedicated rescue fund with revenue from rescue billing. Rescue vehicles are kept 8 years, an increase over the department's previous 6 year life span.

The vehicle's extended life cycle is made possible by increased maintenance and diesel power. Because of an increased demand for service since 2001, the department has run two rescue vehicles, with the newer rescue given the primary or first response and the older vehicle given secondary or second call response. The department's rescue vehicles responded to more than 2,200 calls for service in the last fiscal year with another 68 handled by mutual aid rescues because Saco's vehicles were not available.