To better serve the community, the White Marsh Volunteer Fire Company has a new medic unit, a member of the medic team said.

The new medic truck, which was placed into service May 29 and cost $193,000, replaces a 9-year-old unit, said 1st Lt. Jim Clements.

Fire companies usually replace units every five or six years, he said, and while the former unit still functioned, it was somewhat behind technologically.

One key update in the new unit is a power inverter that allows medics to supply precise pressure for patients who use a home mechanical ventilator. With the old unit, those patients would have to be hand-ventilated, but not at the precise pressure, for the entire trip.

Another change for the better is the stretcher is mounted in the center of the unit, which gives the medic both left and right access to the patient, Clements said.

Other amenities of the new unit include twin compressors for cooling, a lower patient step for entry, LED technology that allows for brighter interior lights and outside signals and computer equipment that allows for GPS location and eventually, a basis for computerized patient records.

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