Meetings Ahead
Most meetings are being held in person, but some are still remote or virtual. Go to the eastham-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in to learn about meeting locations and any remote options that may be offered.
Thursday, Nov. 17
- Council on Aging Board, 1 p.m., Public Library
- Board of Health workshop, 2 p.m., Town Hall
- Board of Health,3 p.m., Town Hall
- Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Monday, Nov. 21
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall
Tuesday, Nov. 22
- Task Force on Residential Zoning, 4:30 p.m., Town Hall
Ambulance Shortage Averted
One of the fire dept.’s three ambulances got rear-ended by a box truck on Route 6 in Dennis on the morning of Nov. 10.
The accident occurred while the ambulance crew was heading back from a Cape Cod Hospital run. They had pulled over at the scene of an accident to see if the state police needed help, said Fire Chief Dan Keane, when they were hit. The truck driver appeared to be staring at the accident scene and not paying attention; the truck driver swerved at the last minute, Keane said. No one was hurt.
The ambulance was drivable, Keane said, and was on its last run for Eastham. The six-year-old vehicle was due to be sold at the end of last week.
The department is now waiting on two ambulances that the town ordered in July 2021. Both are expected to be delivered this month, the chief said.
The 17-month wait for the new ones is not unusual these days. Due to supply-chain problems, fire depts. must now order vehicle replacements two years in advance, Keane said. And prices have skyrocketed. Back in 2021, Eastham bought two new ambulances for $282,000 each. The going rate right now, Keane said, is $480,000.
“I don’t know how fire depts. and chiefs will support these prices,” Keane said.
Right now, the town has two operating ambulances. When the two new ones arrive, another older one will be traded in. The department will keep the third as backup.
“If that ambulance had been totaled and no new one was coming, Eastham would only have one ambulance, and that is just not enough,” the chief said. —K.C. Myers
