Earlier this month, the Bridgeport Fire Department took delivery of a piece of equipment that could prove to be the difference between life and death for those in more rural locations of the city’s service area and for those needing help during winter weather.

 

Fire Captain Phil Hart said the city recently took ownership of a Ford F-450 chassis ambulance that is unlike any in their current fleet or any in the past few decades. This particular ambulance is four-wheel drive.

 

The addition of the new ambulance leaves the department’s total at three. The previous ambulance was used to cover a portion of the new unit’s cost through a trade in. Hart said the total cost of the new unit was $170,000.

 

“The money has been escrowed over a number of years,” said Hart. “That’s fairly typical in how the city handles purchases such as this.”

 

The unit the new ambulance is replacing had roughly 140,000 miles on it. Although still functioning, Hart said it was clear it needed to be traded out.

 

“The ride was starting to get a little bit rough, but the unit served this city and others well,” he said.

 

Although the four-wheel drive feature is unique, the rest of the ambulance is similar to the existing units. Hart said the layout of the box, the storage compartments, the patient compartment and other features resemble closely what is currently being used. The space, however, inside is bigger.

 

“The guys that have used it love it. They say it rides smooth and there’s a lot of room in the back, which benefits the staff when they’re working back there. That’s good for us and it’s certainly good for the patient,” said Hart.

 

As for the four-wheel drive feature, Hart said it’s already been utilized. He said a call to a section of the Green Valley community was off the beaten path to get to a man who was doing farm work. He said that getting to that location in the past would have been difficult.

 

“We were able to get to him much more easily with this unit; there is no doubt about that,” said Hart. “In some places outside the city and even within the city the weather in the winter creates a situation where it’s difficult to get to a patient. This should help out and it gives us our first four-wheel drive ambulance since I’ve been here. The best I can tell it’s been more than 20 years since this department has had a four-wheel drive ambulance.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Captain Phil Hart looking under the hood of hte city's new ambulance. Bottom photo shows the spacious back of the new vehicle.