By Clark Judge
(March 5, 2025) — If you think you’ve heard something about the Killingworth Ambulance Association replacing its current ambulance with a new one, you probably have. The KAA kept announcing it in its past three annual donation letters – or, ever since completing paper work for a new vehicle in February, 2022. But it never said when that truck would arrive, and now we know why.
It had no idea.
Three years ago, it was warned that a shortage of parts could delay delivery for up to 77 weeks … or, about a year-and-half. Instead, it wasn’t until last week that the vehicle was driven from North Carolina to Eastford, Connecticut where it will be outfitted before its delivery to Killingworth by the end of this month.
Nobody is certain when it will be put into service, but most expect it to be sometime in early April, which means … you guessed it … more waiting. Nothing new there. By now, the KAA is inured to delays. Once, it anticipated having the ambulance by last October — that is, until Hurricane Hazel ravaged North Carolina and pushed delivery to December … then February … and now this month. So sitting still for another three weeks shouldn’t be a problem, right?
Wrong. Maybe heaven can wait, but the KAA couldn’t.
That’s why KAA president Dan O’Sullivan and board member James Fretz jumped into O’Sullivan’s Toyota SUV on March 3, 2025 to make the 70-minute drive to Eastford. They were eager to see what they waited three years to drive. However, both were as apprehensive as they were excited, with Fretz openly admitting he was “nervous” shortly after O’Sullivan pulled up at the Eastford Fire and Rescue Sales, a dealer that has serviced the current ambulance since its purchase in 2011.
“You’re nervous because all you have are drawings,” he said later. “You more worried about the graphics than anything, and you don’t want to look at it and say, ‘Oh, my gosh, this isn’t what I expected.’ ”
Except it was.
A smart man once said that “a picture is worth a thousand words, but a smile is worth a million.” He must have been talking about O’Sullivan and Fretz as the two turned a corner inside the Eastford garage and first saw the ambulance with its hood raised toward the ceiling, as Chris Bowen, president of Eastford Fire and Rescue, stood before them.
“I love this truck,” Bowen said, waving to his visitors to join him.
It’s easy to see why. The vehicle is white, not red, like the current ambulance. It’s the same size (though its cabin has four more inches of head room) but not the same make (a Ford, not a Dodge), has colorful blue graphics that wrap around its body and features a raft of enhancements that include bright emergency lights, a hydraulic suspension system, versatile safety belts and improved storage. Best of all, it’s a smoother and safer ride.
Naturally, all that comes at a price. And, for the new ambulance, that figure is $350,000, with an extra $70,000 for a stretcher and power load paid by the town.
“So,” Bowen was asked, “how much better would you say this ambulance is than the one the KAA currently has?”
“Exponentially,” he replied. “Particularly for safety. And that’s huge.”
He should know. After all, he made the 11-hour drive last week from the factory in Jefferson, North Carolina to Eastford before leading O’Sullivan and Fretz on an extensive two-hour tour. It started in the cabin, where the layout is nearly identical to the current ambulance — only with updated equipment, plugs and, yes, a digital clock instead of a battery operated one. Then it moved to the cab where O’Sullivan and Fretz were shown how to operate sirens, as well as a suspension system that adjusts to weight distribution. Finally, the group walked to the outside of the truck, with Bowen operating an automatic lift to hoist a heavy oxygen cylinder – an enormous improvement from what the KAA has now.
“The biggest difference affecting patients,” said O’Sullivan, “is that it’s going to be a much smoother ride than the old one. Other than that, a lot of things aren’t really going to affect them. We’re going to have the same equipment on board, and the box layout is basically the same. But the difference will be how the truck handles and the comfort of patients.”
That’s a month away. In the meantime, radios must be installed, a state inspection cleared and the vehicle registered. For the moment, all you need to know about the KAA’s latest purchase is this: While O’Sullivan and Fretz were more than satisfied with their visit, it was Bowen who paid the vehicle its highest compliment. In business since 1992, he’s serviced what he estimated as “hundreds” of ambulances from Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York, yet was bowled over by Killingworth’s latest acquisition.
“When I came down to the factory (in North Carolina) and saw it,” he said, “it was like … Boom! … look at this truck! You got a good one!”
So dazzled was Bowen that he couldn’t wait to tell others, including the ambulance service in Redding. He didn’t divulge what he said, but he didn’t need to. All he mentioned was that the Redding Fire and EMS Company was so interested in the ambulance that it wanted to see it immediately. Sound familiar? Anyway, shortly before O’Sullivan and Fretz departed for Killingworth, Bowen asked and received permission to drive the vehicle there this week.
“They’re all giddy about this truck,” he said.
O’Sullivan and Fretz might be, too, if they hadn’t waited this long. Nevertheless, it’s safe to say they liked what they saw. They hoped for the best, and their wishes were realized – so much so that when asked if the ambulance met or exceeded their expectations, each nodded.
Unofficially, it passed its first inspection.
(Photo Above, Left to Right: James Fretz, Dan O’Sullivan and Chris Bowen)
“We made a lot of good choices in the design,” O’Sullivan said, “and it came together very nicely. I think it met our hopes. While a world-wide pandemic and natural disaster made us wait longer than we expected, we now have a vehicle that will serve the town well for the next decade or more.”
That’s one way of putting it. For Fretz, however, he responded with a deep breath before exhaling. Remember, he wasn’t sure what to expect prior to the visit to Eastford, admitting to feeling “nervous” as he entered the garage. But that anxiety disappeared the moment he came face-to-face with a vehicle he could only imagine the past three years.
“It was a relief seeing it,” he said as he walked away, “and knowing it’s something we all can be proud of.”
Photos by Clark Judge
