Community News

Bellmore-Merrick EMS gets new wheels

Posted

Bellmore-Merrick Emergency Medical Services notified its fellow Long Island emergency responder agencies that it needed a first-response vehicle, and Brookhaven Fire Department came to the rescue.

Bellmore-Merrick EMS, a volunteer ambulance company headquartered in Bellmore, acquired a new “rapid-response vehicle” in February from the Brookhaven Fire Department, which donated a 2006 Chevy Tahoe that formerly was used by a fire chief who retired.

The vehicle, which is outfitted with equipment to deal with even major trauma cases, would have cost Bellmore-Merrick EMS from $20,000 to $25,000 if used or $30,000 to $50,000 if new, according to Scott Resnik, assistant chief of the ambulance company.

“The chief’s office is very thankful to the chiefs and commissioners of Brookhaven Fire Department for their generous and important donation,” Resnik said.

Emergency medical technicians from Bellmore-Merrick EMS use their new rapid-response vehicle to rush to calls faster than they could with an ambulance. The new vehicle, which can carry as many as five crew members, is a state-certified advanced life support first-responder vehicle, according to Resnik.

“The only thing [the Tahoe] wouldn’t do is transport a patient,” Resnik said.

He said the new rapid-response vehicle rotates between senior staffers in Bellmore-Merrick EMS, who can take the vehicle home with them for overnight shifts when they officially remain on call.