Derry Rescue Squad building damaged in an ‘inside job’

By Cynthia Prairie
©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Kevin Beattie, of the Londonderry Rescue Squad, was preparing to head out to a rescue in Winhall Monday evening. A woman had slipped at a pond and he could make use of the specialized equipment on the Rescue 1 truck to aid in her recovery. He turned from a large cargo door on the passenger’s side of the truck to get into the driver’s seat of Rescue 1. The bay door was open and as he drove forward he heard the crash. “It didn’t sound good,” he says.

Beattie had forgotten to close the cargo door.  But Beattie did what any dedicated first responder would do. Someone needed his help. So, he closed that cargo door, made sure the truck and equipment were in order, turned off the building’s water — the accident had broken water lines mounted on the wall — and drove to Winhall.

The damage to the truck, Beattie says, was minor, with some small scrapes. The bay door’s frame, however, looks like — well a truck drove through it. The frame will have to be replaced as will the track to the overhead door. Insurance, Beattie says, should cover that.

Beattie is obviously chagrined by the accident. His formal title with the Rescue Squad is Captain in Charge of Drivers. “I’ll never live this one down,” he says. But, he adds, his colleagues have been very understanding.

As a dedicated Rescue Squad volunteer, Beattie takes the opportunity during the interview to say that the Londonderry Rescue Squad is looking for volunteers — including drivers — and, as illustrated by their good will over his accident, he agreed that the squad is a great one to work with. So, if you’d like to volunteer, please call Beattie at 802-548-8246.