Vols hold dance to buy new ambulance

The West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department has been serving its community for nearly 80 years - the last 16 of which have featured the same, worn-out ambulance.
That’s about to change, though, as the department prepares to purchase a brand-new, $140,000 customized model.
But funding the new wheels won’t be easy.
To help the cause, the department will hold a Winter Wonderland Dinner Dance on Saturday, December 8. Tickets to the event, which begins at 8 p.m. at the Howard Beach Motor Boat Club, are $25. Ultimately, as Department Chief Jonah Cohen pointed out, those who buy tickets are really benefiting themselves.
“The better our equipment, the better we can serve the community,” said Cohen. “The people at this event are the same people we’re working for in the community.”
Cohen said he and other members of the department decided they would need a new ambulance about a year ago. Most of it has to do with state regulations, he explained.
“The state requires us to have more equipment with us when we respond to a call, and the more equipment we’re required to have, the more space we need,” he said.
Choosing a new ambulance was not unlike hiring an employee, Cohen said. He and co-workers met with representatives from various companies, and decided to work with the one that seemed to best fit the model they had in mind.
They settled on Wheeled Coach, a Florida-based ambulance manufacturer, and then decided exactly what amenities and features they wanted their new model to include.
The current ambulance, said Cohen, is rotting externally, mostly “because we’re in an area with so much water. We’ve maintained it well over the years, but it’s still rotting.”
Christine Ford, the department’s secretary and a certified EMT, helped organize the dinner dance, and said the cost of the ambulance is not the only expense the department will face in the coming year.
“Now that we’re buying this new ambulance,” said Ford, “money that we’d be using for other things - electricity, etc. - will now have to go toward the purchase and general maintenance of the ambulance. So it’s going to be a big cost.”
That the department has been unable to replace its ambulance in 16 years raises questions about government funding to volunteer medical organizations like the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Firefighters.
Cohen acknowledged a “funding problem,” adding that “it’s hard to save money when you’re spending most of it on insurance and vehicle maintenance. Sometimes we get a grant, but it’s not enough to cover the full cost of anything.”
That said, Cohen added that he has always felt supported by local politicians.
Councilmember Joseph Addabbo, who will be attending the dinner dance, said local government “tries to do what it can,” but agreed that the department needs up-to-date equipment.
“They’re in the life-saving business,” said Addabbo.
The Howard Beach Motor Boat Club, located at 59 Russell Street, will be decorated for a winter theme, and the event will offer free food, drinks and, of course, all the dancing that can be fit into one evening. Prizes include a 50-50 raffle, as well as baskets containing cosmetics, coffee and more.
“It will be nice to see people show up, because it will show that they really care about what we do,” said Cohen. “A lot of organizations like ours, the community doesn’t really understand what they’re about. But people here have always understood what we’re trying to do, and all we’re asking for is a little bit of their time.”
“We’re here to support the community,” said Ford, “and we hope the community is here to support us, too.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, call the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department at 718-843-1716.