[quote name='hoss' date='Jul 30 2007, 00:15 ' post='135017']
Now I come from small town and we only have 1 ambulance and others squads in the area are considered big if they have 2. So I was quite impressed by the Greenport Rescue Squad from over in Columbia County, NY. I'll let the photos do the talking.....
I would say that the number of ambulances needed to be maintained should be determined by factors including number of calls, population served, geographical size of coverage area, distances to the hospitals, how many times are there multiple calls at once, and the distance of mutual aid responders. And then of course is the big factor: funding.
I happen to live in a suburban area in a squad with 3 rigs. Since 1939, my volunteer squad has served 3 towns that presently has a total population of about 27,000, an average of 1400 calls annually, 26 square miles, 3 hospitals within 15 miles (the primary being 4 to 10 miles), 200-300 times each year that we need to have 2 rigs in service at the same time and maybe 50 times each year a need for all 3 in service at once, and we have 9 mutual aid volunteer squads within 8 miles plus a daytime paid back up from our closest hospital. There are days when every everybody is being called out constantly and then there are days with no calls for anybody. For my own squad, we are fortunate that all 3 town budgets always give us sizable donations ($15,000 to $20,000 each), over $300,000 in donations. Volunteer squads in our area do not bill for services rendered like paid squads and volunteers in other states.
So maybe what there is low population or rural areas is sufficient.
Now I come from small town and we only have 1 ambulance and others squads in the area are considered big if they have 2. So I was quite impressed by the Greenport Rescue Squad from over in Columbia County, NY. I'll let the photos do the talking.....
I would say that the number of ambulances needed to be maintained should be determined by factors including number of calls, population served, geographical size of coverage area, distances to the hospitals, how many times are there multiple calls at once, and the distance of mutual aid responders. And then of course is the big factor: funding.
I happen to live in a suburban area in a squad with 3 rigs. Since 1939, my volunteer squad has served 3 towns that presently has a total population of about 27,000, an average of 1400 calls annually, 26 square miles, 3 hospitals within 15 miles (the primary being 4 to 10 miles), 200-300 times each year that we need to have 2 rigs in service at the same time and maybe 50 times each year a need for all 3 in service at once, and we have 9 mutual aid volunteer squads within 8 miles plus a daytime paid back up from our closest hospital. There are days when every everybody is being called out constantly and then there are days with no calls for anybody. For my own squad, we are fortunate that all 3 town budgets always give us sizable donations ($15,000 to $20,000 each), over $300,000 in donations. Volunteer squads in our area do not bill for services rendered like paid squads and volunteers in other states.
So maybe what there is low population or rural areas is sufficient.
Rich Dean, Butler, New Jersey, USA
Member of Kinney Hose Co. 1, Butler Fire Dept. since 1973, Fire Police Officer since 2000
Dispatcher at Butler Police Communications from March 1975 to July 2009
Secretary of North Jersey Volunteer Firemen's Association since 1980
Member of Tri-Boro First Aid Squad (volunteer ems) since 2000 as a driver
Member of many Yahoogroups, owner of some such as:
[post="0"]FirematicEvents Yahoogroup[/post]the place to for listing and discussion of any event by a public safety organization.
[post="0"]RailfanEvents Yahoogroup[/post]
[post="0"]Railpics Yahoogroup[/post]
Member of Kinney Hose Co. 1, Butler Fire Dept. since 1973, Fire Police Officer since 2000
Dispatcher at Butler Police Communications from March 1975 to July 2009
Secretary of North Jersey Volunteer Firemen's Association since 1980
Member of Tri-Boro First Aid Squad (volunteer ems) since 2000 as a driver
Member of many Yahoogroups, owner of some such as:
[post="0"]FirematicEvents Yahoogroup[/post]the place to for listing and discussion of any event by a public safety organization.
[post="0"]RailfanEvents Yahoogroup[/post]
[post="0"]Railpics Yahoogroup[/post]