LANESBOROUGH — If you live in Lanesborough and see a shiny new ambulance — don’t worry about the cost.

The town’s new emergency vehicle was paid for by user fees that have been accumulated since 2019, in a period that saw a dramatic increase in calls.

Jen Weber, the Emergency Medical Service director, said the number of calls answered increased from 180 in 2018 to 475 so far in 2022.

Lanesborough has a brand new ambulance to serve the town and the county.

The new vehicle cost a little under $300,000, replacing a 12-year-old ambulance that stopped working Oct. 28, just as the team was coming back to the fire station after bringing a patient to the hospital.

Now, the old ambulance will be sold at auction, though Weber does not expect to take in much money. “With it not running at peak performance, I would be happy to get $5,000,” said Weber. “Usually [ambulances are] repurposed. A lot of people love them for work trucks because of all the cabinets.”

Running an ambulance that old is rare, since the state recommends replacements after four to six years. But despite ordering the medical transport in June 2021, the Lanesborough crew faced long delays in getting its new vehicle.

Before taking delivery of its new emergency vehicle, the Lanesborough EMS used a borrowed ambulance.

The new blue ambulance has been fully customized. “It’s like a LEGO box,” said Weber.

One significant improvement is that emergency medical technicians will not have to manually lift patients into the ambulance, making it easier for EMTs who are older.

“Now, it has arm functions that come out of the bottom, it holds up all the weight. So instead of you now lifting, you’re just pushing a button, and it goes up for you,” said Weber of the device.

First Responder and firefighter Aidan Scholz stocks the new ambulance at the Lanesborough Fire Department on Monday.

Interior blue lights are another feature that will make the vehicle less intrusive to some.

“That’s good for people [who] don’t like [bright] lights,” Weber said. “Also for those who have migraines, or for long rides at 2 a.m. [when] patients want to sleep.”

Weber said she was inspired on this front by the Dalton ambulance service. “That blue light allows us to do what we need to do without having all the lights on.”

The vehicle is gas-powered and has four-wheel drive, which will smooth driving during winter.

Lanesborough has a brand new ambulance to serve the town and the county. It sits inside one of the bays at the Lanesborough Fire Department.

Weber said she all the new fixtures may help her recruit new EMTs. “I’m hoping that this shiny, pretty blue thing with all the bells and whistles will encourage people to be interested in working here,” she said.

Right now, eight out of 11 EMTs are volunteers who have full-time jobs and may not be available for hard-to-fill shifts like 3 a.m.

She is also thinking about how the new ambulance will benefit patients. “We see people on the worst day of their lives. So we want them to be as comfortable as possible,” said Weber.