Island Community Raising Funds for New Ambulance
Corps Makes About 250 Runs a Year
By Leslie Rott

Mackinac Island’s ambulance needs to be replaced, and the the city’s emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are raising awareness and money toward that end. The ambulance now serving the Island was purchased by the city in 1988 and, while it only has about 20,000 miles on it, it is, nevertheless, old and tired and some parts are getting hard to find.

The ambulance can still do the job, said EMT Sam Barnwell, who is hosting a sold-out fundraising dinner at the Iroquois Hotel this Sunday, but it has been kicked by horses and has seen better days. Fellow EMT Rick Linn said that horses are spooked by the portable public address system, used to ask tourists to move out of the way, and consider the vehicle a carriage that is out of place. The ambulance corps, which works under Allied EMS Sytems, Inc., makes between 200 and 250 runs a year, mostly during the summer.

Mark Wilk, Allied EMS team leader for Mackinac Island and St. Ignace, agrees that the EMTs need a new ambulance that can take advantage of new equipment and better meet their needs of the Island. He thinks the city should obtain a new ambulance before the winter season.

“At some point,” he said, “this ambulance is just going to die. We don’t want to wait until it fails to replace it.”

Mr. Linn estimates a new vehicle could cost between $60,000 and $80,000 with features comparable to the present ambulance. A top-of-the-line ambulance, he said, could cost upwards of $150,000.

“They haven’t asked for the pie in the sky,” Mr. Wilk said. He added that when people need an ambulance, they are not going to care what kind it is, as long as they get the care that they need.

Most cities use an ambulance for five to 10 years at the maximum, he said, and Mackinac Island’s ambulance is almost 18 years old.

The City of Mackinac Island is applying for an American Firefighters grant, which is awarded through the Department of Homeland Security and would reimburse the city for the purchase. The city would contribute five percent of the cost.

This is the first year that the American Firefighters grant has been available for stand-alone EMS services. In the past, money has been given to public safety agencies in which police, fire, and EMS services are combined, according to Kelly Bean, assistant to the mayor. Only 35 vehicles will be purchased under the program, however, she added.

Another option the city is investigating is a lease, spread over five years.

Fifty tickets for the dinner July 10 were sold for $100 each, Mr. Barnwell said, with proceeds going to the new ambulance. While the dinner is sold out, he said, contributions are still welcome.