TROY – A new, state-of-the-art emergency response vehicle is being stationed in the Northern Miami Valley Ohio Chapter at the Troy office.

This vehicle is part of the National American Red Cross fleet, kept in a state of readiness and strategically placed in communities throughout the country. The vehicle also will serve the Northern Miami Valley community with the capability of providing feeding services and bulk distribution of disaster relief supplies during local emergencies and remain ready for national deployment when needed. The Red Cross also will use this vehicle to provide canteen services for local first-responders during lengthy emergency responses.

The emergency response vehicle is a Mercedes Sprinter retrofitted with full cargo storage for food, water, clothing, disaster relief supplies and a serving window to better facilitate mass feeding.

“This vehicle allows us to provide even better service for the residents of the Northern Miami Valley affected by disaster,” NMVO Chapter Executive Lynne Gump said. “With full lighting inside and out, heating and air conditioning and comfortable seating we can assist families out in the field safely and efficiently.”

The display of the emergency response vehicle on Monday is part of an evening’s worth of activities focused on current and prospective volunteers. A quarterly volunteer meeting which includes a grill-out and a speaker on the topic of the Geneva Convention and the rules of war begins at 6 p.m. Following the meeting, the new emergency response vehicle will be on display. Free ice cream will be served. Members of the public can learn about volunteer opportunities within the Red Cross. The public is invited to attend any, or all, portions of the evening’s activities.