But New Freeport Volunteer Fire Department EMS director Tommy Coss doesn’t want people to be confused or alarmed if that happens. In fact, their new EMS vehicle can do everything an ambulance can do, except transport a patient.  

“When people call 911, it surprises the dickens out of them when our medical truck shows up. We carry everything in that medical truck and we’re allowed to do everything that your most equipped ambulances, advanced life support ambulances right here in Waynesburg, can do except load you up and drag you away,” Coss said.

Coss said the department noticed in 2016 it could take 45 minutes to an hour and a half for an ambulance to get to its coverage area. EMS Southwest can get tied up on other calls. 

Maywood Fire Chief Craig Bronaugh proposed the vehicle acquisitions during a regular board meeting on Sept. 4.  

Bronaugh approached the board in 2013 about vehicle maintenance issues the department was dealing with back then. As a result, the board approved the emergency purchase of an ambulance before allowing the purchase of a new ambulance several months later. Currently, Bronaugh said, the department has three ambulances. 

“The decision was made to keep the ambulance fleet on a rotation basis,” he said, adding that in 2013 the board planned to decommission, auction and replace each reserve ambulance in the fleet every five years. The vehicle that is scheduled to be replaced has 81,000 miles on it, the chief said. 

Tony Morris, a retired firefighter based in Devon, has claimed that the changes could put people at risk, with the vehicles’ ladders being unable to reach second-floor windows and not carrying all the vital equipment that could be needed.  

The fire service has responded that additional resources will be deployed to fires as needed, and that the public will be consulted over any plans to close stations or reduce the number of firefighters in their area.  

The smaller fire engines – known as Rapid Intervention Vehicles or RIVs – are initially being rolled out to Dartmouth, Porlock, Princetown and Tiverton.