Published: November 21, 2008 10:56 pm         

Terre Haute North students help provide police team with new vehicle

TERRE HAUTE — Instead of hauling sick or injured to a hospital, a former city ambulance will now carry an eight-member police special response team.

Terre Haute Police Chief John Plasse on Friday unveiled the new vehicle in front of Terre Haute North Vigo High School. Students during the 2007-2008 school year worked on the vehicle for the police department.

The police chief wanted to recognize the students who worked on the vehicle.

“Whenever we bring something, this school has been really helpful in fixing something for our use,” Plasse said. “They did most of the work last year, and some of the students have graduated, but we wanted some of the students still here to help be a part of this and recognize them.”

The vehicle cost $4,000 to convert as a result of work from students plus donated paint and emblem work from a body shop and sign company, Plasse said.

Students at North previously worked on the department’s first special response team vehicle, a 1987 van. The newest “SRT” vehicle, painted black with special gold labeling and emblems, is a 1999 model year.

Tim Elder, a welding instructor at North, said it took seven students — juniors and seniors in the school’s advanced vocational welding/ fabrication — working 60 to 70 hours to complete the project. Elder said Vigo County schools are big on community involvement.

“This way, the kids can put theory and practical application together and they see a means to an end,” Elder said. “A lot of times in class you sit there and you never see what happens after you go through a class. This way, the kids have hands-on experience and see what they have actually done, both in the classroom and in the shop area.”

Students removed cabinets from one side of the ambulance, welded, cut and fabricated aluminum to make a bench and secured existing seats.

“We built this without tearing out the integrity of the whole thing. Normally, they would take everything out, but that costs a lot of money, so they came to us and asked if we could do it. The kids were willing to do it; they were enthused about it,” Elder said.

Steve Wright, a senior at North, said students “had to tear the cabinets out and put seats in and take everything out without damaging [the vehicle]. We had to fabricate [metal] to make it fit,” a task that Wright said taught him some new skills.

James Pennell, a junior at North, said “putting in the diamond plate was pretty cool and ripping out everything was pretty fun. We took out the Plexiglas and cut out the wood, but putting in the diamond plate was pretty hard.”

School Superintendent Dan Tanoos said he believes the “school corporation has to be a big part of the community and in a sense, the hub, in many ways for community cooperation. So, whenever there are agencies that help us, especially, we want to in turn to help them. So, our principals are more than willing participants to jump in and get involved, and it is a good experience for our teaches to show their creativity and the students to learn and expand on their vocations for the future.

“Our police and fire department, emergency response people, are just incredible; they are always there when you need them,” Tanoos said. “They never have shied away from any time that we have asked for event help or an emergency situation. They are always there and they attack a situation with professionalism.”

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.