Nearly 200 Runners Participate in Inaugural Community Ambulance Run

The weather was perfect for a run and with close to 200 participants, the inaugural 5K on Oct. 16 was deemed an overwhelming success.

The run/walk raised more than $6,000 for the Ambulance Company, and will be put toward a new building for the volunteer organization that offers emergency medical transportation services for residents of Bayport, Bohemia, Oakville and Sayville.

JP Latkovic, who joined Community Ambulance in December 2010, initiated the idea and executed the planning for the race.

The race started and ended at , winding through the local neighborhood and along the Great South Bay.

Along the course, Community Ambulance volunteers handed out water to the racers, and additional volunteers patrolled the route on bicycles to ensure the safety of all involved. 

At the finish line, more Community Ambulance volunteers handed out fresh fruit to the racers while a local DJ provided entertainment.  

Many Community Ambulance members were on hand to staff the event, and some even ran in the race. At the conclusion of the event, more than 30 prizes, donated by local merchants, were raffled off to racers.

"The entire day was a great success, and this will hopefully become an annual event for Community Ambulance that will grow bigger and bigger every year," said James MacDonell, Captain, Community Ambulance Company.

Community Ambulance Company continues to have an ever-growing call volume, and they answered more than 4,300 alarms in 2010. Currently, they operate out of a building that they outgrew quite some time ago, and are forced to keep vehicles outside.

Due to the lack of space, they have even had to move their fifth ambulance miles away to be housed at Long Island MacArthur Airport. Planning is underway for a new building in the near future in which all Community Ambulance vehicles can be housed together.