Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Medical Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Waukegan approves 10-year lease for new cardiac monitors for fire department ambulances
Summary
The council's finance committee approved a 10-year lease with Zoll for cardiac monitors covering ambulance fleets; committee was told leasing includes service contract and saves money versus buying and replacing equipment outright.
The finance committee authorized the Waukegan Fire Department on July 21 to enter into a 10-year lease with Zoll for cardiac monitors used on ambulances and fire-response medical units.
The lease calls for 10 annual installments of $74,816.21 over 120 months to cover an initial round of six monitors and a planned refresh in five years. Committee discussion said the first round would equip six ambulances and that the department expects a second round at the five-year mark because monitor technology changes rapidly. The department representative said current monitors are about seven years old and nearing the end of their service life.
Committee members were given an approximate cost-per-unit: the monitors in service now cost about $56,000 apiece to purchase and the next-generation units were projected to cost $60,000 to $65,000 each. Staff said the lease covers device replacement, service contracts and IT fees, as well as consumables such as cables, projecting a 10-year savings of roughly $134,000 compared with buying and replacing with service contracts separately.
Alderman Florian asked for clarification on the number of units and lifecycle planning; staff responded the agreement will cover six units now and a planned upgrade round in five years. The committee approved the lease by roll call.
Funding and administration: The lease payments will be charged to GL code 10302025472. The lease structure was presented as a cost-effective way to manage rapid product obsolescence and ongoing service needs for life-safety equipment.
Outcome: Motion carried; staff will proceed to finalize the lease with Zoll.
What to watch: The department will schedule the upgrade cycle and present implementation details and timelines to the finance committee if requested.
