Hilltown Community Ambulance Service Director Bailey Jones in front of the 2017 Freightliner M2 ambulance purchased this month for $56,000.
Reminder Publishing photo by Amy Porter
HUNTINGTON — Bailey Jones, service director for the Hilltown Community Ambulance Association, said the emergency ambulance service which serves six towns in the Southern Hilltowns has updated its fleet with the purchase of a red 2017 Freightliner M2 and stretcher for $56,000.
Jones and his wife drove to Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, in his personal car this month to pick up the Freightliner from a used ambulance dealership, and his wife followed him back.
This is the second ambulance Jones has had to replace in a year. Last year, the nonprofit purchased a 2011 white Ford F-650. He said this replacement, while not unexpected, happened sooner than anticipated.
Jones said the organization’s mechanic had discovered that the Chevy 2500 Express needed a new gas tank, as it was close to rusting through. He said because the back half of the truck that includes the gas tank is custom-made, the cost to replace it would be $5,000.
Instead, Jones took the $25,000 in the ambulance fund account to put a down payment on the Freightliner and pay off the Chevy. He said all told, the ambulance service needed to finance approximately $14,000 of the new purchase, as it was able to use this year’s capital equipment funding.
“It wasn’t planned, but if it had to happen, this wasn’t the worst time,” Jones said.
All six towns in HCAA’s service area, which includes Worthington, Huntington, Montgomery, Russell, Blandford and Chester, approved new contracts with HCAA at their annual town meetings this year, increasing each town’s per capita assessment to $50.20, up from $35 last year. Neighboring ambulance services charge on average $60 per capita.
The towns also now contribute separately to a capital equipment fund, which raises $25,000 per year.
“All six towns signed contracts,” Jones said, crediting “wonderful communication” with everybody.
“It was tough to get to this point. It couldn’t have been done without the members of our board of directors and the community itself,“ he said, adding that transparency played a very large role in this success, and the ambulance service has now established transparency as a key pillar of the organization.
In addition, Jones said the board of directors is now full, with membership and representation from every town.
He said that increasing paramedic response to 99% has also been a massive help in support from the towns. HCAA has officially reached maximum capacity with paramedics, and can guarantee paramedics on every shift, every day.
Jones said, after extended talks with the mechanic, HCAA doesn’t expect to have to purchase another ambulance for five to eight years. Massachusetts requires that ambulances be replaced after 20 years. He said the Freightliner should last until 2037, and the Ford F-650 to 2031.
Asked what other goals or plans the organization may have, Jones said it is always looking for grant opportunities. Currently, HCAA is working with Highland Ambulance on a FEMA grant for a Lucas automatic CPR machine, which he said has a plunger that to perform the chest compressions, and is the most efficient way to revive someone. He said the grant is in process, and the ambulance services should hear something in the next couple of months.
As for the needed building expansion, Jones said they are identifying the best ways to use the increase in support from member towns this past year. He said the board did discuss the possibility of bringing in a temporary structure for the crews to use.
Jones said their first priority is to ensure that HCAA remains sustainable and makes good financial choices.
