“It still has that new ambulance smell,” says Rescue Squad Captain Beth Rousseau of the brand new ambulance the Block Island Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department took delivery of a month ago.The 2022 van-style ambulance was made possible by a grant from the Roosa Fund that the rescue squad applied for in 2021 to replace two ambulances in its fleet that were aging. Rousseau said that the driving force behind the request came from department member Kirk Littlefield.Although the rescue squad is awaiting another, more traditional box-type ambulance, the van style will enable the squad to access remote areas and narrow dirt roads more easily. It carries less equipment, but “we have just what we need,” Rousseau told The Block Island Times. The van will also be easier to get on and off the ferry, when needed.There were a few custom touches made. Rousseau said that in order to fit into the rescue barn, there was no exterior light bar on the front. Instead, a light bar is incorporated into the top of the windshield. In another custom touch, there is a thank you and tribute
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