Published: March 31, 2008 11:55 am      

New Wheels

New ambulance out to serve residents of Fountain

FOUNTAIN - Residents of the Fountain area who find themselves in need of emergency medical assistance are now being served by an ambulance from the Fountain Volunteer Fire Company.

Fountain put its ambulance in service Feb. 29, when Valley Medical ceased answering emergency calls in the Fountain area.

Fire Chief Rick Liller said the company began planning to put an ambulance in service when Valley announced last July that it would stop answering emergency calls in November.

"We worked with the assistance of the Mineral County Ambulance Authority and the Mineral County Commissioners to secure an ambulance, adjust the boundaries for providing the service and obtain licensure from the state of West Virginia," he said.

At a special meeting held in November, the members of the Fountain Fire Company voted unanimously to accept an ambulance from the Ambulance Authority, if one were offered.

Several authority members were placed on a committee to look into how the ambulance would be obtained, and during a special meeting Nov. 29 the decision was made to move an ambulance from another company into Fountain's station.

When committee member Gary Sargeant announced in December that it had been decided the ambulance would be pulled from Ridgeley, the suggestion was met with much criticism. Authority member John Douthitt suggested looking into purchasing a refurbished vehicle for Fountain.

"There's units out there, I believe, that can be purchased for $25,000 or $30,000. Let Fountain go buy what they want," he said.

"If we've got the money," Mineral County Office of Emergency Management Director Marc Bashoor said at the time, "my personal recommendation is that we make this happen.

"The bottom line is, we've got to provide this service."

The authority approved $30,000 that night for Fountain to purchase an ambulance.

In the meantime, Valley agreed to extend emergency service in the Fountain area until the end of February.

"On Dec. 20, the (Fountain) members brought home a used ambulance purchased from the Friendship Fire Department in Winchester, Va.," Liller said.

The vehicle was re-lettered and striped to fit Fountain's colors, and the equipment was placed on board.

"The ambulance and the fire company passed both of their inspections and the company received its license," Liller said.

The Fountain Volunteer Fire Company has two paramedics and seven emergency medical technicians. Three additional EMTs are completing their ride-along training and four members are enrolled in an EMT class.

The ambulance placed in service is equipped for advanced life support. Along with the ambulance, the fire company provides ALS equipment on its rescue engine. Their second engine and brush truck are equipped with basic life support equipment.

Liller recently expressed his gratitude for all the agencies that helped get the ambulance on the road.

"The members of the fire company would like to thank Valley Medical for the past 16 years of service in the community of Fountain, and we'd also like to thank the Mineral County Ambulance Authority for providing funding to purchase the ambulance," he said.

"Also thanks to the Mineral County Commission for supporting us and to all of the area volunteer ambulance companies in the county for assisting us in getting through our inspection, and to the citizens of Fountain and the surrounding areas for their continued support."

In accordance with ambulance authority regulations, Fountain will remain on probation with its ambulance service for one year.

At the successful conclusion of the probationary period, the company will be able to place a voting member on the authority.

Contact Liz Beavers at lbeavers@times-news.com.