A 1993 Ford ambulance that used to belong to the Crawford VFD is on its way south of the border, thanks to the Scottsbluff/Gering Rotary Club and its sister club in Fortin, Mexico.

The Mexican club will present the ambulance, which includes a new Jaws of Life unit to the city of Tuxtepec, Mexico, in the state of Oaxaca.

Despite Tuxtepec having 300,000 residents and 5 surrounding communities with another 25,000…it doesn’t have a single ambulance or personnel extractor.

The former Crawford ambulance was completely reconditioned by Floyd’s Truck Center in Scottsbluff, while a number of area fire departments…including Crawford…filled it with 30 sets of firefigher safety gear, a new “jaws of life” and even a used electric dental chair.

Scottsbluff/Gering Rotary Club committee chairman Joe Schon says the cost of the project…including transportation to Mexico…is about $11,000 but would be much higher except for volunteer time and effort expended in both contries.

The Panhandle club has now sent its sister club three ambulances, a fire truck, another extractor unit and dozens of sets of firefighter gear. Club president Dan Carter says stories have come back about lives already being saved because of the earlier gifts.