Ambulance woes frustrate local officials

Since June, the Fredonia Fire Department has had to make do without its ambulance because of mechanical failures.

And there’s no sign the problem will be solved anytime soon, Fire Chief Brian Weyker said this week.

“It failed to start on us June 30. From that point forward, it has been in the garage,” he said. 

The situation has officials looking into the state’s Lemon Law, which protects consumers who buy or lease defective vehicles, for relief.

“It’s been very frustrating, I’ll tell you that,” Weyker said.

A fuse block wiring harness has been on order for months from a vendor for Ford Motor Co., but even when it arrives, Weyker said, they’re not sure it will solve the problem.

Slowing things down has been Covid-19.

“Covid has put a wrench in all the gears,” Weyker said. “The supplier had gone bankrupt, and they had to retool with another vendor. It was after Labor Day before they got things updated. “

In addition, under normal circumstances, when local Ford technicians were unable to solve the problem, a technician from the company’s home base in Detroit would have come to diagnose the problem.

“But with Covid, they’re not letting anyone travel,” Weyker said. “Now we’re just waiting for Ford to get back to us.”

Weyker said he has an appointment to talk with a Ford representative on Oct. 5.

The 2018 vehicle, which is still under warranty, was purchased after its predecessor was wrecked in a crash at the intersection of Highway 57 and Highway H.

To fill in for the out-of-commission vehicle, the Port Washington Fire Department lent one of its three ambulances to Fredonia. But that vehicle overheated while on a call and had to be towed and repaired.

Since then, the department has been using an ambulance loaned to it by Foster Coach in Sterling, Ill., the company that built the 2018 ambulance.

Through it all, neighboring departments have had to cover eight or nine emergency calls for Fredonia and several transports, Weyker said, which has meant lost revenue to the department.