Pincher Creek Emergency Services donates ambulance to Rotary's Los Amigos Project

Pincher Creek Rotary past President Douglas Thornton, present President Lynn Brasnett,
and Pincher Creek Emergency Services Chief Dave Cox with photo of donated ambulance
C. Davis photos

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Pincher Creek Emergency Services (PCES) Chief Dave Cox presented Pincher Creek's Rotary Club with a significant donation to the Los Amigos Project at Rotary's regular meeting on December 5: a decomissioned ambulance which PCES sold to Rotary for a dollar.

The Los Amigos Project was spearheaded by Rotary Club of Lethbridge Sunrise and is an effort by southern Alberta Rotary Clubs to acquire six vehicles and other emergency services equipment to ship to Mazatlan early spring next year and distribute throughout the area there.


According to Pincher Creek Rotary President Lynn Brasnett the initiative delivered fire equipment last year. Brasnett is also a member of Pincher Creek EMS.

"We will also be trying to raise money in January for school supplies, because we can't take those with us," said Brasnett.  "We have to actually purchase it down there."

Marg Cox of PCES with donated vehicle

Chief Cox presented Brasnett with a photo of the ambulance instead of actually delivering it to the meeting because it was sitting in the cold over the past few days, during which our recent blizzard covered it and rendered it too cold to drive safely without risking damage to it.  "As to the feelings that ambulance has, being here today... in six months it's going to be in Mexico,"  said Cox, to general laughter from the Rotary crowd assembled at Pincher Creek's Heritage Inn.  "We've known about this program for a while, it's nice that Pincher Creek is involved now," Cox continued.   "We got a buy-in from the community a week and a half ago."

Brasnett explained the donation process. "Mazatlan Rotary Club actually takes the applications.  They have to make sure that they have a full time driver that's licensed, they have to have it insured, and they have to have a way to maintain it.  If they don't,  and it ever just sits, they yoink it and give it to the next group that has applied."

Once everything is good to go Pincher Creek Rotary members will drive the donated ambulance to Lethbridge College Mercury for servicing.  Two or three of our local Rotary members will then drive it to Mexico.

The ambulance. a 1999 vehicle number 1099,  is a second spare that hasn't been used by PCES for quite some time, being the oldest in the fleet.  According to Chief Cox PCES is retaining the other spare, which is used sparingly, and it will be inspected before they let the donated one go.  A new ambulance has been ordered for PCES and is expected to arrive sometime in spring 2014.   One of the two ambulances currently in daily service will then become the spare.

Related links:
Los Amigos 2014 Facebook page
www.pincherfire.com
Rotary Club of Lethbridge Sunrise
Pincher Creek Rotary Club