San Juan Island EMTs will donate $80,000 to kick-start a fundraising campaign for purchase of a new ambulance on behalf of San Juan Emergency Medical Services.

At a meeting in December, members of the San Juan Island Emergency Medical Technician Association voted to donate up to $80,000 toward the purchase of the new ambulance, the cost of which is anticipated to range $140,000 to $160,000. The EMT Association will seek community donations to help cover the balance of the purchase price, according to a Jan. 7 association press release.

“Our primary response ambulance is 14 years old and the secondary units are even older,” the association notes in the press release. “The aging vehicles are in need of replacement.”

The association cited the budgetary constraints now faced by EMS following defeat of its proposed property tax in November as well as the need of a new ambulance as driving forces for the fundraising campaign.

It will tap donations previously received, including a sizable gift from the late Dodie Gann, to kick-start the donation drive.

A state certified 501-C3, the EMT association is a charitable organization governed by its own executive officers and operates independently of San Juan EMS, San Juan Island hospital district, Island Air Ambulance and Peace Island Medical Center. The association consists of volunteer EMTs and paramedics that serve San Juan Island.

For more about the fundraising campaign or to make a tax-deductible donation, contact EMT association president Karl Kuetzing at, SanJuanEMTs@gmail.com