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Date: 10/31/2023
HADLEY — Ambulance service, staffed and run by the town is now in effect following an Oct 23. dedication ceremony at the public safety complex.
Fire Chief Michael Spanknebel led the 10 a.m. service which featured attendance by community members and town officials, an inaugural roll out and a blessing of the town’s newest addition to their emergency fleet.
Hadley A1, a Basic Life Support ambulance went into service immediately following the ceremony. Staffed with trained Fire Department members, A1 will respond to and handle secondary medical calls when Hadley Action Med 1, the Action EMS Advanced Life Support vehicle the town contracts, is otherwise engaged.
Calling it, “a historic day for the town of Hadley and our department and our community,” Spanknebel welcomed the community, thanking them for their support of “Our first basic level ambulance service which is town owned and run by members of the Hadley Fire Department.”
The ambulance was purchased from the city of Northampton for $20,000 and was backed with start-up funding approved by the town last May.
Select Board Member Molly Keegan, attending the roll out, applauded the addition to town service.
“Great for the town of Hadley and it’s great for the region,” she said.
Fellow Board Member Joyce Chunglo, long-involved with the efforts to bring town-run service online said the project came down to a bottom line.
“We wanted to make sure that our community was taken care of,” she said.
Town Administrator Carolyn Brennan said the project was among first town plans she was involved, with beginning with the warrant that initiated the sale of the vehicle to Hadley by the city of Northampton.
“That was one of my biggest delights to see a community so supportive,” she said, noting that Northampton sold the ambulance to Hadley for an affordable price.
A1 will initially run service in Hadley on a 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. schedule.
“We look forward to serving the town of Hadley in providing additional speedy and excellent response to medical emergencies in our community, all parts of our community,” Spanknebel said.