Curry County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue unit has a new ride.

Sheriff John Bishop and Lt. John Ward received the donation of a retired ambulance from Cal-Ore Life Flight Ground & Air Ambulance Service Tuesday afternoon.

Cal-Ore also donated a bus to Curry Health Network this week, to serve as a mass casualty command post.

Ambulance for SAR

Cal-Ore General Manager Joe Gregorio turned over the keys to the ambulance at the Brookings Cal-Ore headquarters.

The retired ambulance will be used to store and transport rescue equipment and personnel, as a mobile command center and a warming unit for hypothermic victims, Sheriff John Bishop said.

“We want to thank Dan (Brattain, president of Cal-Ore Life Flight) and Joe and the rest of the group at Cal-Ore,” Bishop said.

Identification logos need to be changed and SAR equipment installed, but the ambulance does not require any major alterations to enter service with the sheriff’s department.

It will take about a month to get the ambulance refitted for its new purpose, Bishop said.

The ambulance will replace a covered pickup truck.

Until recently the SAR unit stored equipment in the back of the truck, but exposure to the weather compromised climbing ropes and other equipment, which had to be replaced, Ward said.

“We’re working on a (SAR) building to keep it inside,” said Bishop, noting that the coastal weather often reduces the lifetime of vehicles stored outside.

The SAR ambulance can transport eight rescuers using seat belts and will be stationed in Gold Beach for north-central emergency response.

Currently SAR responds to emergencies in five or six separate vehicles. Central and north county responders will be able to reduce that fleet to two vehicles, including the new ambulance.

The 2000 Medix ambulance is valued at $30,000 and has 100,000 miles on it. The unit was retired because Cal-Ore recently upgraded its fleet with new state-of-the-art rigs, Gregorio said.

That’s low mileage for an ambulance, Gregorio said. Ambulances are typically retired at 300,000 miles, thanks to frequent maintenance and the durability of diesel engines.

“We work with SAR a lot,” Gregorio said. “It makes a good mix of equipment to make the job easier for both (SAR and Cal-Ore).”

“This is just another example of how emergency service groups work together,” said Bishop.

Command bus for CHD

Also on Tuesday Brattain handed over the title and keys to a 1980 Thomas command bus.

The retired school bus was converted by Cal-Ore to a mass casualty on-site command post.

The bus is equipped with storage racks, a communication station with radios, a small conference table and a bunk. It can also be reconfigured to support four litters.

“We wanted to strengthen our partnership with Curry Health District,” said Dan Brattain.

“In the event of a mass casualty or natural disaster the hospital will need to either have a presence at the site, or be able to direct operations from an alternate site if the hospital is damaged,” Brattain said.

The health district has a critical role to play in responding to natural disasters or a mass casualty situation, Curry Health District CEO Bill McMillan said.

“We drill with Cal-Ore and area law enforcement several times a year,” McMillan said.