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Candia fire department reports ambulance crash; vehicle out of service pending evaluation
Summary
At the Jan. 13 selectmen meeting Candia fire officials said Ambulance 2 left the roadway after the driver experienced a medical event. The vehicle will be evaluated and is likely out of service for months; a loaner ambulance is in use and parts/chassis replacement are being considered.
On Jan. 13 the Candia fire department reported that Ambulance 2 was involved in a crash on Jan. 6 after the driver experienced a medical event, leaving the vehicle in a ditch and out of service pending a full vendor evaluation.
The department told the board its vendor, Autotronics, delivered a loaner vehicle the day after the accident and will evaluate Ambulance 2; the earliest the town expects an evaluation result is the end of the month. Fire staff said if the ambulance’s frame is bent the vendor intends to remount the ambulance box on a replacement chassis rather than fully replace the unit, which would shorten turnaround time.
Why it matters: The town relies on a small fleet for emergency medical services. Officials said the vendor loaner and the department’s reserve ambulance will cover calls while Ambulance 2 is out; however the reserve briefly went out of service for a mechanical issue that has since been repaired.
Details from the report: The driver became unresponsive while operating the ambulance, and the passenger partially controlled the vehicle before it left the road. Both ambulance crew members were transported to the hospital; one was released the same night and the other spent two nights in the hospital and is recovering but will be out of work for a period. The department said there were no indications of distracted driving prior to the event.
Vendor and logistics: Fire officials said Autotronics brought a spare ambulance and may charge PrimeX (the town’s fleet management contact) up to $250 per day for the loaner; the vendor indicated PrimeX would pay while the loaner is needed and the town would not be charged directly for that period. The vendor also reported they have a 2024 chassis available and could remount the box if necessary.
Staffing and training context: The fire department also told the board it sponsored seven people for EMT training and sent four people to the fire academy in the past year. The department said recruitment and training are ongoing and that a multi-year staffing plan remains in effect.
No formal board actions were taken on the ambulance report beyond receiving the departmental update; the board approved separate funding and personnel items elsewhere on the agenda.
