RANKIN INLET - It's a year late but it's here - Rankin Inlet has a new ambulance.

"The last ambulance was getting old," said Fire Chief Ambrose Karlik.

"I was told it was the oldest ambulance in Canada."

The fire department was supposed to have the new ambulance last year but funding issues slowed it up, Karlik said. The old ambulance, a 1989 Ford that's been in the community since 1990, will be kept around to supplement its shiny new replacement.

"We will keep using it for back-up," Karlik said. "The old one will keep operating in case we get double ambulance calls."

The new ambulance, a Ford E350 diesel, came from Saskatoon, Sask.and arrived in Rankin on Sept. 25. By Sept. 29 it had its registration and license plate but still no decals, which should arrive in two weeks.

Karlik said it's a great improvement to drive over the old vehicle.

"The new one has a lot more power," he said. Karlik said the department often gets up to four calls for the ambulance on any given day, mostly for moving medevac patients to the airport. The new vehicle also has more compartments to store medical supplies. It will be dedicated to calls within community limits, while the old ambulance will be used for calls up the road, Karlik said.

There are six to eight ambulance attendants - fire fighters with their Class One drivers licenses and Canadian Red Cross First Aid and CPR level C - in Rankin. Karlik said the department haven't tried out the siren yet.

"I don't want to scare people. Kids especially are scared of sirens, I'm not going to try it until we get an emergency.

"(The new ambulance) is good for the community of Rankin Inlet, it's growing up so fast. And it will keep growing, it's nice to have two ambulances, sometimes we get two emergency calls."

It will likely be a busy vehicle, but it's in Rankin for the long-term. "This new ambulance will be good for 25 years, as long as we are taking good care of it. I'll be retired by that time," he said.

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