Medic 2, Bedford's Newest Ambulance: Voted at Annual Town Meeting 2016 and Delivered Today

The team that researched and wrote the specifications for Medic 2: EMS Coordinator/Firefighter Dana Park, Firefighter/Paramedic Mark Casey, Firefighter Brian Fedele, and Lt. David Bauman at the Fire Station on Tuesday morning. Firefighter Mark Busa was on a call in Medic 1 when the new ambulance was delivered. Image (c) JMcCT, 2017 all rights reserved

By Julie McCay Turner

As Annual Town Meeting prepares for tonight’s vote on the bonding appropriations in the FY2018 Capital Projects Budget and the Ambulance Enterprise Fund, it’s instructive to take a quick look back at 2016. During last year’s meeting, the Capital Projects Budget included Item 17-29, a new ambulance valued at $256,000.

Double click each image in the gallery below to see it at full size.

Medic 2, formerly known as Item 17-29, was delivered to the Bedford Fire Station this morning, on Tuesday, March 28 — just a year after its appropriation was voted at Bedford’s Annual Town Meeting.

According to Fire Chief David Grunes, the 2016 vote was the culmination of a year-long study to determine parameters that would best meet Bedford’s needs for an ambulance able to support the Advanced Life Support (ALS) services provided by Bedford’s fully-certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs).

Once last March’s bonding authorization was approved, a team of firefighters and EMTs went to work to finalize an item-by-item specification list for the 2017 Ford/Horton Ambulance.

Lt. David Bauman, EMS Coordinator/Firefighter Dana Park, Firefighter Matt Busa, Firefighter/Paramedic Mark Casey, and Firefighter Brian Fedele spent several months last summer researching ambulance construction and design before drafting a comprehensive, 36-page list of specifications for the new ambulance. “Their hard work was instrumental in the design of this new ambulance.,” said Chief Grunes.

The new rig offers advanced care capacity and comfort for the patient, along with convenience for the EMTs. A new suspension system, airbags and seatbelts are coupled with IV infusion pumps, heart monitors, and expanded storage capacity. The improvements mean that ‘everything is within a hand’s reach,” according to Lt. Bauman.

With approximately 90,000 miles on Medic 1 in its five years of service, the department answers roughly 1,400 medical calls each year. While Medic 1 remains a fine ambulance, it was ordered prior to the department’s commitment to provide ALS support with EMTs on board.

Editor’s Note: Also voted last year, Item 17-30 in the FY2017 Capital Projects Budget, a new fire engine valued at $564,515, will be delivered within the next few months.