RIDE SHARE POSTS, RENTAL REQUESTS AND ITEMS WANTED/FOR SALE MUST HAVE CONTACT INFO IN THE POST.
Ambulance Information
Posted by JeanneC on February 16, 2024, 6:25 pm
I can finally answer some of the questions I’ve been asked about the ambulance. To start, our new ambulance is a 2011 Ford E-350 van. Because we’ve had so much trouble in the past with diesel engines—no qualified mechanics, no parts—this one is a gas engine. My understanding is that there are plenty of mechanics who can work on it, and plenty of parts available to buy. I did a few fund raisers at the beginning of the season, making about 60,000p, and we drew out 80,000p from the ambulance fund to go towards paying for the new ambulance. The remainder of the cost of the ambulance was covered by—the same old donor! We had a lot of interest from different folks who wanted to make big donations, but none of those have come through—yet. I’m hoping I can recover some of the $12,500 US donation and replace some of the money from the ambulance fund. The still-broken diesel ambulance that is with a mechanic in Colima will be returned to La Manzanilla tomorrow. Certain people have come forward saying they would like to make an attempt at fixing it. I say—have at it! We’ll park it either at Chuy’s moto fix shop, or at the central de salud, where we’ve parked our ambulance in the past. Earlier, some of our funds went to paying half of the cost of replacing the fence around that property, and towards building a bodega for storage and a palapa to protect the ambulance. We are still considering options for the diesel. If we can fix it, we might have two ambulances or we might sell the diesel. If we can’t get it running, we’ll consider selling it for parts. We currently have 4 trained members of our team, plus the frequent help from Francisco Jr., a certified EMT. He has two other jobs, but is willing to provide refresher training to our current team and go on calls as time allows. Alejandro, who speaks English and Spanish, will still answer the emergency phone and dispatch two available technicians. The phone number remains the same—315-112-4048— but we aren’t ready to go on calls just yet. We still need insurance and plates, primarily, and a new/used camilla (gurney), and a new battery. We also need to restock the medical supplies in the ambulance. We lost almost everything in storage—humidity and insects and rats took their toll. I went to La Huerta yesterday, and the president agreed to renew his commitment to our ambulance by paying for fuel and the registration and insurance for us. He said he is fast-tracking this process, and he will deliver the new plates and contract and insurance papers to us by next week. He has also agreed to provide basic maintenance, such as oil changes. We currently have 5 board members who help us with decisions and planning for the future. Mayan Hence is our treasurer and keeps careful track of all donations and files the reports the technicians must submit after every call. We are always interested in having more board members. Please let me know if you are interested in serving. We are also soliciting additional technicians. We have one person who is currently completing her training in Ciudad Guzman and will be a fully certified EMT in May who is interested in being part of the team. So why are we always asking for donations? Because expenses happen. We currently have approximately 100,000p in our ambulance fund. We just had to pay 7000p for the tow truck to bring the diesel ambulance back. While it was in storage, our camilla —well it needs to be fixed or replaced. The cost of a new camilla is between 7000p-10,000p. The cost of completely outfitting the ambulance with fresh medical supplies is between 10,000p-15,000p, which includes restocking our “go bag” that is used on every call. The new battery will cost roughly 5000p, and we need 3000p for boots and uniform shirts. That will put our fund at approximately 60,000p. We still have our two defibrillators and our oxygen tanks. Each technician is paid 800p for a call. I was told early on that I pay them too much, but I disagree. That 800p also goes toward the time they spend in training, and the time they spend cleaning and restocking the ambulance. Many times when they transport a person to a hospital, the team members are required to stay with the patient until they have been treated or admitted to the hospital, sometimes waiting for hours. To say nothing of having to deal with death and injury. So given the remaining funds, and paying 1600p for each call, we have enough money after these expenses to pay for about 35 calls. I recall writing up summaries of the calls we completed over the course of a summer, and the number always exceeded 35 calls. And we don’t want to start the busy season with no funds. So I will continue to ask for money. In fact, there’s a fund raiser raffle coming up soon. The ambulance is very important to our community. We save lives. Please help when you can, and don’t hesitate to ask me any other questions you may have.
Re: Ambulance Information
Posted by Ronaldo on February 16, 2024, 7:40 pm, in reply to "Ambulance Information"
That is a terrific detailed report, gracias to you , the committee and all involved for an absolutely critical ongoing service for this community. Where is the best place to make donations?
on February 16, 2024, 6:25 pm
