Amagansett Dedicates New State-of-the-Art Ambulance

The Amagansett Fire Department dedicated its new state-of-the-art ambulance, which was purchased with a $250,000 state grant, at a ceremony at the firehouse on Sept. 12.

The grant came about thanks to cooperation between State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., the Amagansett Fire District manager, Jessica Cantwell, Amagansett’s fire commissioners, and the district’s special counsel, Steven Weitz, all of whom attended the dedication ceremony along with department chiefs and volunteers. 

The new 2017 E-450 Medallion ambulance is now in service and had already run 52 calls as of last week. The ambulance replaced one that was 18 years old and had reached the end of its useful life, Ms. Cantwell said. 

The Amagansett Fire Department, which was founded 104 years ago, has 59 active firefighters, 11 members of the fire police, 25 members of the ambulance squad, and 15 junior firefighters. The volume of calls quadruples from Memorial Day through Labor Day, with the majority being ambulance related, the district said in a press release. 

Because a ride to the hospital often can take more than three hours and because of heavy demand for emergency medical services, the district established a paid paramedic program in 2014 and now employs 14 advanced life support providers, with one on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

“We are working on several large projects including a town-wide mandatory radio system, a fascia [truck] replacement project, replacement of an ambulance, and an aging roof that will need to be replaced,” Ms. Cantwell said, adding that she had asked Mr. Weitz to assist in making applications for additional grants. “Grant funding allows us to apply for funding opportunities to purchase the vehicles and equipment that we need without further burdening our resident taxpayers,” she said.