BEVERLY — When Red Cross workers arrive at the scene to help victims of a fire, flood or other disaster, they usually pull up in an old minivan or station wagon.

Not anymore.

Thanks to two years of fundraising by the Beverly Rotary Club and other local chapters, the American Red Cross of Northeast Massachusetts is now the proud owner of a shiny new $75,000 customized emergency response vehicle.

Yes, customized.

"It really is a Swiss Army knife kind of vehicle for chapter use," said Red Cross volunteer Ron Beckley, the man who spent about 400 hours designing the vehicle from scratch.

"I started with an empty (Dodge) Sprinter, and a blank piece of paper," he said. Emergency vehicles are usually made by retrofitting a more expensive Ford 350 van, and are designed mostly for carrying supplies and food.

"Our local chapter wanted something a little more versatile," said Red Cross Executive Director Frederica Doeringer.

The van includes heating and cooling systems to make victims more comfortable, two rooms to privately interview people, a portable table, an amateur radio station, emergency lights, its own power supply, an awning, feeding windows on both sides of the van, and extra storage.

It also boasts a lower price tag than a basic emergency vehicle.

"We saved close to $50,000," Doeringer said. All because Beckley "has a nasty habit of raising his hand," he said.

"He said, 'I think we can do the same thing, or better, for less,'" Doeringer said.

Beckley didn't have any experience designing emergency response vehicles, or any type of vehicle, really, but once he had the idea, he got to work. The Beverly, Salem, Rockport and Gloucester Rotary Clubs raised $75,000 through various fundraisers, so Beckley knew how much money he had to work with.

"I started from ground zero, and had to do a lot of research," he said.

Now, it seems Beckley's model could set a new standard for emergency response vehicles across the country.

"The National Red Cross," he said, "Is thinking of basing their ERV on this vehicle."

Staff writer Cate Lecuyer can be reached at clecuyer@salemnews.com