Marblehead’s ambulance service has new owner

MARBLEHEAD – As of 12:01 a.m. today, Marblehead’s ambulance service has a new owner.
Robert Dionne, owner of Northshore Ambulance, came before selectmen Wednesday with Dennis Cataldo, owner of Cataldo Ambulance, to announce that he was selling his business to Cataldo after 15 years.
North Shore Ambulance opened a garage at 8 Sewall St. in July. The firm previously sent ambulances to Marblehead from a Salem garage and the opening meant that local residents could expect faster service.
The garage is in the former O’Brien Marine site, a block from Pleasant Street in the downtown area and will house an ambulance and two employees. Dionne signed a one-year lease. He assured the board that the company has strict guidelines in place regarding the use of lights and sirens during the evening hours.
?It’s in my best interest and it’s the best decision for the town,” Dionne told the board.
Northshore will now be run by Atlantic Ambulance, a subsidiary of Cataldo.
Fire Chief Barry Dixey told the board he has checked with other communities where Cataldo supplies ambulance service and the feedback was “nothing but positive.”
Don Walcott, a Marblehead resident and Cataldo’s director of personnel, said he was enthusiastic about the change.
Selectman William Woodfin asked Cataldo to guarantee the presence of at least one ambulance on-site at all times, and he asked Town Administrator Tony Sasso to make sure that Cataldo would operate under the same contract conditions the town negotiated with Northshore