I am writing this letter to share the deep commitment and generosity shown by a group of responsible gun owners to help keep our community safe.
I wanted to write this letter because over and over in the newspapers or on the news it seems like the only stories which get reported are those which involve tragedies or acts of criminals armed with guns or those which shed negative light on legal gun owners, while acts of heroism or good deeds of the responsible gun owners go unreported.
I am Chairman of the Ansonia Rescue Medical Service. For quite some time the Ansonia Medical Rescue Service has been attempting to acquire a piece of equipment which would greatly enhance our service’s ability to serve the citizens of Ansonia. This piece of equipment is a Utility All-Terrain Vehicle or “UTV.” This vehicle would allow our medical personnel to quickly and safely provide medical aid and patient transportation into such areas not assessable to our ambulances.
For example, some of these areas are the Nature Center, the Quillinan Hiking Trails, the River Walk and many others areas of our community. This vehicle would also be of service to our community in cases of severe weather such as the blizzard we experienced this past winter.
For the past couple of years, the Ansonia Rescue Medical Service has applied for grants as a means to purchase this vehicle as we felt we did not want to add the $18,000 estimated price tag for this piece of equipment into our budget, as this would directly impact the taxpayers of the city. Unfortunately, we were turned down for these grants which would have provided us the funding to purchase the “UTV.”
I would like to mention that last year, the Ansonia Rescue Medical Service did receive a generous grant from the Katherine Matthies Foundation which allowed us to purchase the “Med Bed” aka the stretcher for the “UTV.”
Officers of the Ansonia Rod & Gun Club which is located on Ford Road, Ansonia heard about our plight and after a meeting of their membership, they decided they would help us in a big way towards our goal of purchasing the “UTV.”
Last Monday, the Ansonia Rod & Gun Club President Warren Connors and Treasurer Horace Behrle came to the Ansonia Rescue Medical Service Commission meeting and presented our organization with a check for $10,000.00 to be used towards the purchase of the “UTV.”
I want to make it known that this is not the first time this group of responsible firearms enthusiasts stepped up to help our organization and the safety of the community. A couple of years ago they donated thousands of dollars which enabled the Ansonia Rescue Medical Service to purchase a “Power Cot.”
The “Power Cot” is a hydraulic stretcher which assists our emergency medical responders by lifting the patients by hydraulic power thus helping prevent back injuries to our personnel. For years this organization also has donated their facility to area police departments for training.
In closing on behalf of the Ansonia Rescue Medical Service, I wish to extend my gratitude to the fine members of the Ansonia Rod & Gun Club for their overwhelming support and generosity to help keep the City of Ansonia safe.
If anyone wishes to make a donation to the Ansonia Rescue Medical Service to assist us in reaching the funding needed to purchase the “UTV” please contact Chief Jarod Heon at 203 – 734-1294.
Thank You,
Scott Nihill
6th Ward Alderman – Chairman of the Ansonia Rescue Medical Service
