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Show Location of Bryce Ambulance Proves Beneficial to Region BRYCE The Type I modular ambulance pressed into service for the Bryce Canyon business district less than a month ago has already proven its usefulness and the wisdom of the choice of its icoation said Bob McCullough, operations officer for Garfield County's emergency ambulance service. The choice of the Bryce Canyon business district location for the latest ambulance added to the county's fleet was based on several factors, McCullough said. In the past, emergency calls in the area had frequently been responded to be the ambulance located in Bryce Canyon National Park. The The Bryce Canyon Business District now boasts of newly acquired type I modular ambulance unit NPS personnel were well trained and skillful, but each time they were required to man the ambulance, the park fire fighting crew was depleted by the number who left on the ambulance since they all serve in several capacities in their jobs at the park. When the Rubys Inn fire broke out at midnight on May 31, the entire Bryce Canyon park crew was sorely needed to man the fire truck which arrived first on the scene of the $4 million dollar fire. Fortunately, McCullough pointed out, the Bryce business district ambulance had been placed in service at Pink Cliffs-Bryce Village jj which Is fully equipped and centrally located for service at Pink Cliff Chevron service. just a few days before. The unit was available to handle transportation of a victim of smoke inhalation to the hospital in Panguitch leaving the Bryce Canyon park personnel free to concentrate their efforts on fighting the fire. The ambulance was purchased for $4,000 with only 48,000 miles on it and McCullough estimates its cost as between $16,000 and $20,000 new. It is staffed by five emergency medical technicians, four of whom were trained during the spring training session just in time for assignment to the new unit. EMTs now serving regularly on a volunteer basis are Mike Muir, Alfred Foster, Jr., Karleen Muir, Kay Loringer and Carolyn Baker. The park service ambulance stationed in the park serves as backup unit under the special agreement the county has with the park. Under criteria established by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the county is gradually phasing out its obsolute van-type ambulances and replacing them with the Type I modular units and even the more modern and practical Type III units. Type I units have driver's cabs separate from the ambulance compartment, whereas the Type III ambulances are walk-through into the cab. The ambulance at Bryce is dispatched by pager from the emergency dispatch center in Panguitch. McCullough reminds county residents that the coun-tywide emergency telephone number is 676-2411, |