Escalon Community Ambulance will host a special dedication ceremony on Saturday, June 9 to officially put its new ambulance in service. The station house opens at 10 a.m., with the ceremony itself scheduled for 10:30 a.m.; festivities are expected to wrap up by noon.

All in the community are welcome to come see the new ambulance, watch ECA’s newest addition to the fleet be blessed into service, meet the crew, have some food and enjoy a tour of the Pitassi – Van Houten Station on Ullrey Avenue.

The new ambulance was paid for through local donations and was designed for both patient comfort and personnel safety. It was designed by Malley, a New Brunswick, Canada-based company that specializes in ambulances and emergency response units.

The 2017 rig will serve as ECA’s ‘first out’ car for 9-1-1 calls, said ECA officials.

The vehicle itself cost about $90,000 and all the funds were raised through donations to Escalon Community Ambulance from community members.

“We appreciate every single one of those dollars,” said ECA Chief Vanessa Herrero.

Two older units will be taken out of service as the new unit is brought on board and added to the fleet.