Will one ambulance be enough now?

NORTH EAST — The North East Fire District’s Board of Commissioners is looking into the possibility of eliminating one of two ambulances it owns. Both are operated by a shrinking Millerton Rescue Squad.

At the board’s Sept. 21 meeting, board Chairman George Lind explained that the rescue squad “can no longer man two vehicles,� in part due to lack of membership and in part due to the lack of availability during the daytime for current members.

It’s also a matter of finding space for the vehicle, which is currently parked outside on the lawn of the firehouse. It’s been there since delivery of a pair of firefighting vehicles the district recently purchased.

There are two ambulances owned and operated by the fire district. Both were purchased in 2006; the one with a four-wheel-drive chassis was brand new. The other, a two-wheel drive, has a new chassis attached to an existing box.

Lind said a letter had been submitted to the board signed by both Millerton Fire Company Chief Jason Watson and Millerton Rescue Squad Captain Nancy Ellis requesting that the board, if it decides to get rid of one of the vehicles, chooses to keep the two-wheel drive vehicle.

The board has yet to make any decision and has several options it can pursue. It could keep the vehicle and find a location to store it, presumably in a private garage. But as Lind pointed out, the district would still be paying for insurance and annual maintenance on the vehicle, which conceivably might never be used.

The other option would be to declare the vehicle surplus and find some way to get rid of it. Commissioner Lee Rockwell is looking into advertising the vehicle, which only has 4,000 miles on it, to see what offers come in. Rockwell said he would also be in contact with a dealer. The board agreed, with the stipulation that the ambulance, which was originally purchased for $86,000, wouldn’t be sold unless the fire district saw at least 50 percent of that ($43,000) from the sale.

The next Board of Commissioners meeting will be held on Oct. 19. A public hearing for the 2011 district budget will begin at 6 p.m.; the regular board meeting will follow at 7 p.m.