An Icud Hatzalah volunteer was somewhat surprised on Sunday afternoon when he was responding to an emergency call only to find that his scooter had been stolen from the Rechavia area of the capital. The license number of the vehicle is 59-119-62, Icud Hatzalah number 179. Anyone with information is urged to phone I.H. or police immediately.
 
Officials are always fearful that such a vehicle will be used in an act of terror chas v’sholom.

The following statement was given to YWN:

A rescue ambucycle belonging to United Hatzalah (UH#179 License plate number 59-119-62) was stolen this afternoon from Rechavia in the center of Jerusalem in broad daylight. This particular ambucycle had clocked over 2200 rescue responses during its nearly 4 year operational lifetime. Built in tracking device and bitter experience indicates that the ambucycle was probably taken to the PA controlled West Bank. Police have been informed and while they and we are concerned that the ambucycle may be used in a terror attack their hands are effectively tied once the vehicle is out of their jurisdiction. United Hatzalah medics and the general public are being asked to keep a sharp eye out for this ambucycle or even a modified version bearing the same license plate number. In the event that the ambucycle is sighted, the police should be alerted immediately and no attempt should be made to approach or restrain the ambucycle.

Attorney Benny Ganunian is a lawyer by profession and United Hatzalah ambucycle medic by choice. He had just returned from saving the life of a 65 year-old lady who suffered a heart attack. From inside his house he heard the alarm on the ambucycle go off. He ran down and saw nothing amiss with the vehicle. He went back upstairs thinking perhaps that perhaps some local kids had jostled the ambucycle or something of the sort. Within the hour he received another alert of a man with chest pains and ran down to his ambucycle. To his chagrin the ambucycle was no longer there. Not only was this critical asset of United Hatzalah stolen, but also its on-board defibrillator and other advanced medical equipment as well. The real tragedy is the lives that will not benefit from the lifesaving activities this ambucycle facilitated.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)