Crown’s new purchase reduces carbon footprint
PRESQUE ISLE — The Aroostook Medical Center’s Crown Ambulance is going green and improving the ride for patients by making a change to its ambulance fleet this summer.
TAMC’S CROWN AMBULANCE recently added a new, more environmentally-friendly ambulance to its fleet. Pictured in front of the new ambulance are, from left: Ben Everett, Peggy Jalbert, Ryan Morneault, Amy Gagnon, Perry Jackson and Harvey McLellan.
“We have replaced one of our older diesel ambulances with a new, smaller gasoline-powered model,” said Perry Jackson, manager of Crown Ambulance. “We will save on fuel and vehicle maintenance and make the bumps a little harder for our patients to feel. It’s good for both the environment and our patients, and it makes us more efficient.”
The Marque Squad 2 ambulance is smaller than the ambulances used by most Aroostook County-based emergency medical services. It has four tires instead of six and uses less oil than a larger ambulance, but its most environmentally-friendly attribute is its fuel efficiency.
“TAMC has been doing many different things to reduce its ecological footprint over the past few years, so this is a natural step for Crown,” said Jackson. “We drive hundreds of thousands of miles each year, so anything we can do to reduce our impact while still providing a high level of care is great.”
The ambulance also incorporates new technology that further improves its efficiency. The emergency lights on the outside of the ambulance are powered by lamps using LED technology. LED lights last longer than the halogen lamps used in ambulances for decades. The Marque Squad 2 is the first vehicle in Crown’s fleet to take advantage of the new fuel-saving technology.
The new ambulance will only be used for non-complicated transports to facilities in Bangor, Rockland, Portland and other destinations in the southern and eastern part of Maine. It is not suited for transporting critically ill patients because there is less space for personnel to work and spread out the large amount of equipment needed to care for those with the most serious medical problems.
“It won’t be appropriate for all of our patients, but when it is used, patients will appreciate the smoother ride,” said Jackson.
According to Jackson, the ambulance will be used for between 120 and 150 transports per year, with each trip averaging 450 miles. The vehicle uses up to 12 miles of fuel per gallon, a 40 percent improvement over the diesel models.
“Over the course of the year, this will result in a savings of at least $13,000 in fuel alone,” he said.
The ambulance replaces one of Crown’s nine vehicles used to provide emergency medical care in 14 Aroostook County communities. It is expected to last about five years. The vehicle cost $60,000, which is about half the price of a full-size diesel ambulance.
As for adding more ambulances like the Marque Squad 2 to the fleet, Jackson is taking a wait and see approach.
“We’re going to evaluate it,” he said. “We’ll continue to review how we can provide the best care as efficiently as possible. Right now, that means using our larger ambulances for local calls, and using the new ambulance for long-distance transports.”
