Town ambulance strikes deer

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — The town of Houlton was down to just one functioning ambulance Tuesday morning after one of its vehicles was damaged in a collision with a deer on Interstate 95.
    Houlton Ambulance Chief Milton Cone said Tuesday morning that the town’s 2010 Chevrolet was damaged early Tuesday morning as it was heading back to Houlton from a patient transfer to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bangor.
    Around 2:30 a.m., the ambulance struck a deer just north of the scenic turnout near Medway. The paramedics riding in the ambulance were not injured.
    Cone did not have an estimate for the damage, but said the front end received heavy damage from where it impacted with the deer. The vehicle had been out of service for several weeks after it was involved in a minor motor vehicle accident in town, while responding to a call.
    The town normally has three ambulances in its rotation. However, a 2009 vehicle has been out of service for a short time and is presently in Bangor for repairs.
    That leaves the town just one functioning ambulance as of Tuesday morning. Cone said he expects to have the 2009 vehicle back in service sometime this week. He said the town could also request a loaner vehicle from Autotronics, the company from which the ambulance was purchased. That company has loaned ambulances to Houlton in the past.
    “In the event of an emergency, we have a mutual aid agreement with the surrounding towns, so there will be coverage,” he said. “We won’t be with just one ambulance for a very long period of time. We will still be able to respond to medical emergencies.”