Tag Archives: Jesse Leavenworth

ASM to Appear in Manchester Fire Department Parade Sunday

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By JESSE LEAVENWORTH
The Hartford Courant 6:00 p.m. EDT, October 8, 2013
hc-manchester-parade-1010-20131008-001

Credit – Hartford Courant

MANCHESTER — In a show of pride and a celebration of history, the Eighth Utilities District Manchester Fire Department will hold a parade Sunday.

The 125th anniversary parade is scheduled to step off at 1 p.m. with lights flashing, sirens wailing, bagpipes and drums sounding and firefighters from throughout the region marching in full dress uniform.

Among the 40 contingents slated to march, most represent fire departments, parade Chairman and Eight District firefighter Ryan Bilodeau said. Marchers will include first responders from the Manchester Police Department and Ambulance Service of Manchester, along with the Manchester Regional Police & Fire Pipe Band and the Patriot Guard Riders.

Read the whole article here…

Hartford Courant: Manchester Ambulance Company Changes Fleet

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Mercedes Sprinter ambulance, left. and Ford ambulance. Ambulance Service of Manchester has almost completed a fleet change from the Fords to the Mercedes emergency vehicles. (Ambulance Service of Manchester / July 25, 2013)

Mercedes Sprinter ambulance, left. and Ford ambulance. Ambulance Service of Manchester has almost completed a fleet change from the Fords to the Mercedes emergency vehicles. (Ambulance Service of Manchester / July 25, 2013)

3:24 p.m. EDT, July 25, 2013

by Jesse Leavenworth

MANCHESTER — A local ambulance company has made a substantial investment in its fleet over the past four years, gradually replacing Fords with what is now a German/American emergency vehicle.

Ambulance Service of Manchester is among the first medical response companies of its size in the nation to switch its line to Sprinter ambulances, ASM spokesman Dave Skoczulek said Thursday. Sprinters had been a Dodge product, but are now part of the Mercedes-Benz line.

At the end of the month, the company will have replaced 27 of its 28 ambulances with Sprinters. The only remaining Ford will be the company’s bariatric ambulance, which is equipped to handle heavy patients.

The diesel-powered Mercedes ambulances get three to four miles more per gallon than the Ford E-350 vans they replaced, have more head-room can remain in service longer with less maintenance and are equipped with a stablity system that the Fords lacked, Skoczulek said. Another advantage is the Sprinter’s sliding side door, a roadside safety improvement over the Fords, which had swing-out side doors.

The Sprinters arrive from Germany as spare vans and are outfitted as ambulances by North Carolina-based American Emergency Vehicles. The Dodge and Mercedes Sprinters have cost as much as $20,000 more than the $56,000 Fords, Skoczulek said, “but we felt that the improved gas mileage and decreased maintenance was worth the investment.”

“We didn’t expect to have to change after decades working in Fords,” he said, “but when the landscape shifted, we didn’t see anything comparable to the Sprinters as an overall package.” Read the story at The Hartford Courant

ASM Responds: Winter Storm Charlotte

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The Hartford Courant

By JESSE LEAVENWORTH, leavenworth@courant.com

MANCHESTER — Read the whole article here…Private ambulance providers had similar difficulties. Prevented from close access to many homes, medics had to carry patients, in some cases for 100 yards or more, through thigh-deep snow, Dave Skoczulek, spokesman for Ambulance Service of Manchester and Aetna Ambulance Service, said Monday.

Ambulances mired on roadsides and stuck in deep snow banks had to be pulled out with a four-wheel drive paramedic intercept vehicle. Total calls were less than normal, Skoczulek said, “but each call was typically more severe and took much, much more effort and much longer to complete.”

Ambulance Service of Manchester Mercedes Sprinter AmbulanceAt the height of the storm, a patient with chest pains had to be taken from Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. A physician arranged for a plow to escort the ambulance, and there were many other stories of plows paving the way for emergency medical personnel, Skoczulek said.

Another crew in a heavy ambulance equipped with tire chains could not make it over impassable roads with a critical care patient aboard, Skoczulek said. The crew got help from Manchester police and residents, who came over with shovels and snowblowers, he said. Eventually, a backhoe from Ansaldi Construction winched the ambulance back onto a cleared road surface, Skoczulek said.

Heavy Lifting For Ambulance Crews

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Obesity Epidemic Is Changing Emergency Medical Transport

By JESSE LEAVENWORTH, leavenworth@courant.com The Hartford Courant

October 20, 2012

Brian Langan Ambulance Service of Manchester

Emergency medical technicians have long shared a Murphy’s Law kind of reckoning about obese patients: for every additional floor in a building, the patient will weigh 100 more pounds.

It’s dark humor among men and women with an often grim, strenuous job, but obesity rates are rising throughout the state and nation, and a recently released report says the ranks of the morbidly obese will continue to balloon.

The task of transporting patients who weigh at least 100 pounds more than they should is now a daily reality in Connecticut and throughout the nation. The job strains ambulance crews, causing widespread back injuries, and piles financial burdens on both volunteer companies and professional providers.

“We’ve always had to deal with big people,” said Glenn Luedtke,safety committee chairman of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, “but nowadays, it’s not uncommon to see someone who’s 300 pounds into the 400-pound range.” Continue reading →

Stryker Power Stretcher System Deployed on Bariatric Ambulances

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The safest bariatric ambulance loading system in use today. 

POWER Load Stretcher - ASM Aetna Ambulance

HARTFORD and MANCHESTER, Connecticut — On October 1, 2012, Aetna Ambulance and the Ambulance Service of Manchester installed and deployed Stryker Power-LOAD stretcher lift systems in each of the company’s two bariatric ambulances. 

Capable of lifting a maximum patient weight of 700 pounds, it is the company’s firm belief that the Stryker Power LOAD is the safest overall bariatric ambulance equipment for a number of reasons:

  • Power-LOAD is the best product for protecting the dignity  of  the patient. There are no industrial winches or uneven, ten foot track systems. There is no large rear deployment area that has the patient sitting out exposed to the elements.
  • Power-LOAD is the best system for protecting the well-being of the ambulance crew. Patient and stretcher lifting is done entirely by the powered system and not by the backs of the crew. The system reduces stretcher drops and makes the best use of its low center of gravity.
  • Power-LOAD is the best method for healthcare facilities as it is not large and unwieldy. It is easy to maneuver and fits into any space where a standard stretcher would fit.

Equipping our bariatric units with the Power-LOAD stretcher lift system is part of Aetna and ASM’s long-term commitment to the safety of our patients and employees. 

Read the Hartford Courant Article here: Ambulance Service Of Manchester And Aetna Ambulance Get New Equipment For Obese Patients…

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ASM Responds: Car Crash in Manchester

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Ambulance Service of Manchester (ASM)
(Photo Courtesy of Hartford Courant)

HARTFORD COURANT

MANCHESTER— Three people were taken away by ambulance after an accident on Tolland Turnpike Wednesday afternoon.

The injuries were non-life threatening, police said. Two vehicles had heavy front-end damage. Police traffic Sgt. Hank Minor said speeding and inattentive driving caused the accident. A driver of a third car involved in the accident would be cited, Minor said. Read the full Courant article here… Continue reading →

ASM Responds: Students Hospitalized After Crash With Police Cruiser

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ASM Responds: Accident involving police cruiser and teenagers

ASM Responds: Accident involving police cruiser and teenagers

— Four Manchester High School students were slightly injured when a police cruiser collided with their car Tuesday, officials said.

The driver of the Oldsmobile sedan may have been pulling out of a curbside parking space, or making a u-turn in the road when the cruiser struck the driver’s side, Police Chief Marc Montminy said, but investigators are still gathering information. Read the full Hartford Courant article here…

More pictures in full blog post… Continue reading →

Emergency of Hunger Food Drive Yields Fantastic Results

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Ambulance Service of Manchester Emergency of Hunger Food Drive
An ASM ambulance, loaded with food, nearing the full mark.

News Release

MANCHESTER  – When the dust settled on the friendly but competitive “Emergency of Hunger Food Drive,” Team Manchester won in the food count, Team Vernon won in cash, checks and gift cards and Team South Windsor won in turkeys.

In total, the three teams collected:

  • 27,000 food items
  • 742 turkeys, and
  • Over $33,000 in cash, checks and gift cards.

Read the Hartford Courant Article here…

Read the Reminder article here… Continue reading →

‘Broken Road’ Leads To Rascal Flatts Concert

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The following article appeared in the Hartford Courant on August 11, 2011. Video appears with the permission of Fox61. 

HARTFORD COURANT – Jesse Leavenworth

Sharon Vanover needed good news.

On July 30 in Stafford, a car with an allegedly drunk driver at the wheel crushed Vanover’s right leg as she rode on the back of husband Mark Vanover’s motorcycle. Recovery will be long and painful, and the Vanovers said they had to close one of their two day-care centers this week because Sharon cannot manage the business.

Into these dark days comes the Ambulance Service of Manchester and a modern version of the Cinderella story. Read more…

In a card written to the crewmembers, Sharon writes, Continue reading →