Montauk Ambulances Upgraded

The Montauk Fire Department has been awarded a $175,562 federal grant for equipment upgrades, Representative Lee Zeldin announced last week.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance for Firefighters program awarded the grant, which Montauk Fire Chief Vincent Franzone said will help with the purchase of “much needed pre-hospital cardiac care equipment that allows us to continue the outstanding service our emergency medical technicians have been providing.”

Chief Franzone said upgraded cardiac monitors will be placed in the three ambulances and the first-responder vehicle driven by the department’s paid paramedics. “The units we currently have are quite old and do not have the newest technology built into them,” he said. The department will also purchase practice mannequins for training. 

“As with most East End towns, our population swells from a modest 4,000 to well over 75,000 in the peak season. Our proximity to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, an hour away, makes the job of our E.M.T.s that of life support, not just transport,” Chief Franzone said. “This grant allows us to purchase equipment that will relay vital information to the hospital while en route that will without a doubt save lives.”

“Our first responders put their lives on the line each and every day to protect us, and it is our responsibility to ensure they have everything they need to safely and effectively do their jobs,” Congressman Zeldin said.