Emergency Equipment Donated to Hillsdale

The Hillsdale Council introduced two ordinances to accept donated emergency equipment during their meeting Tuesday.

The first is a former ambulance and communications vehicle used by several Pascack Valley area emergency services, most recently in River Vale. Borough firefighters said they would use the truck as a rehabilitation area and for equipment storage and transportation.

Councilman Douglas Frank said he was concerned about accepting the donation because the truck is 23 years old and could end up costing a lot of money for maintenance, repairs and other expenses.

"It would be nice if we could have this and it wouldn't cost us any money," Frank said.

Fire Chief Mark Durst said he expects the truck will not have any problems because it has a diesel engine and has been driven less than 40,000 miles.

"I don't believe it's a concern that it's going to break down," Durst said.

The council also introduced an ordinance to accept a donated trailer to act as a communications center for the borough's Office of Emergency Management during crises.

The council is scheduled to make a final vote on whether or not to accept both donations during their October 9 meeting.