MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- Commander J.G. VanDermark, officer-in-charge of Branch Health Clinic-Dental, is anything but the typical dentist. He appreciates a well-worn, vintage emergency vehicle as much as other dentists appreciate a good set of bicuspids.
VanDermark has been involved in restoring aged and broken-down ambulances for the past two years.
It all started when VanDermark, a former firefighter/emergency medical technician of 12 years, wanted to relive the good old days with the good old emergency vehicles.
"[Restoring these vehicles] is a reminder of the way things used to be and how much things have changed," said VanDermark.
His first restoration project was on a 1967 Pontiac Bonneville ambulance back in 2003-2004.
The firefighter-turned-dentist is now restoring his second vehicle, a 1970 Suburban fire rescue vehicle.
This project is a bit nostalgic because it is the exact model he used during his first rescue job as an EMT.
VanDermark acquired this vehicle by trading his '67 Bonneville to a man he met at a car show in Florida.
For future projects, he keeps an eye out at junkyards, firehouses and government auctions.
"The average [cost] for an unrestored vehicle is about two thousand dollars," said VanDermark.
Despite the vehicles he restores being out of commission, the replacements parts for them are not, said VanDermark.
"There are a number of specialty distributors," said VanDermark. "I can go out in town and order any parts I need. The hardest part is finding lights, sirens and radios."
For the more rare parts, VanDermark searches online auctions, flea markets and specialty Web sites.
VanDermark is not alone in his pursuits. He belongs to a car club called the Professional Car Society, or PCS for short.
According to www.professionalcar.org, PCS's official Web site, the PCS is "an international organization dedicated to the maintenance, restoration, preservation and appreciation of professional vehicles."
The organization focuses on restoring professional vehicles dated between 1930 and 1978. Emergency vehicles made in those years were versions of common passenger vehicles that had been modified for a certain purpose. After 1978, government regulations required a specific design for all emergency vehicles.
"New government regulations determined the shape of the newer, boxy shape of the [modern ambulances]," said VanDermark.
VanDermark's hobby is shared with other men and women in the PCS, many of whom have a similar background in firefighting.
"Either they were firefighters or EMTs in the past who can 'remember when' and want to preserve it, or they were funeral directors," said VanDermark.
These former funeral directors played a duel role as both the hearse and ambulance driver. These hearse/ambulance hybrids would sometimes had removable parts, such as panels and red lights, which allowed the vehicles to convert for whatever the occasion called for.
VanDermark's third project, a 1952 Cadillac Miller ambulance, is in storage, awaiting his healing, mechanical touch.
People interested in joining PCS or just learning more information about professional car restoration can visit www.professionalcar.com.