Custom ambulance goes into service

SHARON — Visitors to the shopping plaza in the center of town have no doubt noticed that the ambulance company has posted a large “Thank You� on the sign in the bank parking lot that was tracking the progress of fundraising efforts for a new ambulance.

The ambulance was delivered about three weeks ago. It’s a Ford 450, customized by a company in Eastford, Conn., called Life Line. The total cost was about $180,000, according to Tom Alden, who is captain of the all-volunteer Sharon Ambulance.

“It took us a little over a year to raise the money to buy it, and it was paid for 100 percent through donations and fundraisers,� he said.

All towns in the Northwest Corner have volunteer ambulance and fire departments, which raise their own operating funds. Although some of the ambulance squads do charge for ambulance service, the Sharon volunteers do not — and never will, Alden said, as long as he is part of the squad.

The new vehicle is an improvement over the old one (a 1997 model) in several ways. The roof is higher, so EMTs can actually stand up while they care for patients en route to the hospital.

“And this one is four-wheel drive,� Alden said. “With the old one, we used to have to go out with a fire department rescue truck if the weather was bad, in case we got stuck. Now we can just go out on our own.�

The old ambulance was outdated in many ways and has not only been retired, it has also been traded in.

This new unit sports a handsome emblem on one of its doors: a dedication to longtime volunteer Betsy Hall.  Hall is the first to point out that she is not the volunteer who has the most years on the squad. But, Alden said, Hall has not only been an ambulance volunteer for 32 years, she is also one of the most active volunteers.

There are currently about 40 members of the Sharon squad, many of whom have been serving for 15 or 20 years. There are a few members who have topped four decades of service.