Medic 22 commissioned into service

NEWBERRY — Newberry County EMS dedicated their new ambulance Medic 22 with a wetting down and push back ceremony on October 14. The event was attended by Newberry city and county officials, representatives of Newberry County Memorial Hospital (NCMH) and other community members.

EMS Chief Rob Wronski hosted the event and explained the Wet Down and Push Back ceremony.

“This tradition dates back to the late 1800s when a piece of apparatus and the firemen returned from a call, horses don’t have a reverse gear so they would bring it to the front of the station and wash it down and push it back into the station,” he said.

Nowadays, this tradition is not only carried out for fire apparatus, but any new emergency services vehicles placed in service.

Medic 22 is a state-of-the-art ambulance that carries more than 60 medications and has equipment to treat many different injuries and situations in the field.

“Newberry County EMS has some of the advanced treatment protocols I have seen in the state,” said Wronski. “I’d like to thank everyone that was involved in the purchase of the ambulance; obviously the county EMD, the hospital and especially the citizens of Newberry County who see fit to fund EMS as well as they do and allow use to purchase new equipment. I’d also like to tell everybody the ambulance came in under budget.”

All NCEMS ambulances, including the new Medic 22, have the newest and most advanced life support equipment that is available to serve the residents of Newberry County according to the press release by NCMH.

Rev. Randy Derrick offered a blessing of Medic 22 before putting the unit into service.

“We give you thanks o God as we set apart and dedicate this our new ambulance to your glory and praise,” prayed Derrick. “We give you thanks o God for those who labor in, through, and around this new ambulance and ask you to bless the fruits of their work.”

NCMH CEO Bruce Baldwin and Newberry County Councilperson Johnny Mack Scurry then shared wet-down duties and the EMS team pushed Medic 22 into the service bay. Medic 22 will be stationed at Station 3 and serve the lake district area of Newberry County.