RED CROSS Trumbull chapter to get 2nd emergency vehicle

When one vehicle is at an out-of-town disaster, the other will be on hand.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Two emergency response vehicles will soon be ready to roll out of the American Red Cross Trumbull Chapter's parking lot to serve disaster workers and victims.
The chapter will receive a new ERV, built on a Ford E450 diesel chassis by Wheeled Coach in Winter Park, Fla., which can carry up to two tons. It will also keep the ERV already based at the chapter.
"It allows us to do some of the most important things that we need to do as an organization to help people at disaster relief operations,'' Christinia M. Gargas, Trumbull Chapter volunteers and public relations director, said of the new acquisition.
When the new vehicle is away at an out-of-town disaster, the older one will be available for use at local fires and for other local needs, said Tim Settles, chapter emergency services director.
The custom-made vehicles, which typically cost almost $70,000 each, are used primarily to feed firefighters at fire scenes and to feed the public at disaster scenes. Such a vehicle can serve 250 to 300 meals before having to replenish its food supply, Settles said.
The chapter will send two volunteer drivers to a training session in Winter Park, Fla., in late April, and those volunteers will drive the new vehicle from there to the Trumbull Chapter, where it will be based beginning April 30.
Ownership
The new vehicle will be owned by the national Red Cross, which will pay for its maintenance. The new ERV will be easier to get in and out of and easier to load, and it will have a lower and more accessible food service window counter than the older one, Settles said.
The national Red Cross will give the Trumbull Chapter the older ERV, but the local chapter will become financially responsible for the older vehicle's operation, maintenance and insurance.
The older vehicle is a 1994 model with more than 120,000 miles on its odometer, which has been used at numerous disasters, including Ground Zero, the 2003 Northeast Ohio floods and Hurricane Katrina.
"We're going to change the old one around a little bit to make it a little bit more customized for local responses," including fire scenes, Settles said. Settles said he's considering setting up work stations for casework activities in the older ERV.
Other ERVs are based at Red Cross chapters in Canton, Akron, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
milliken@vindy.com