Pickens County commissioners on July ?, 2025, approved three public-safety purchases: a replacement commercial rescue pumper for Station 12, a frontline ambulance replacement, and a three-year contract for an OperativeIQ management platform to improve EMS medication oversight.

The county approved buying a commercial rescue pumper from Fireline Inc. for $431,621 to replace the pump truck at Station 12 on Cartland Road. Commissioners discussed the purchase during a prior work session and then voted to approve the expenditure from the SPLOST account.

The board also approved the purchase of a First Class emergency vehicle for Medics Ambulance, budgeted as a 2020 SPLOST project, at a cost described in the packet as $324,200. The chair said ambulance procurement is cyclical and noted lead times of about a year to a year and a half for delivery.

Separately, commissioners approved a three-year contract with Boundtree Medical for the OperativeIQ platform to provide oversight of medications and related inventory. The chairman described the contract as a three-year agreement with year-one costs of approximately $11,800, year two $8,000 and year three $8,000, with a total “just under $27,000” across three years. A county participant said if supplies are purchased through Boundtree, the net cost to the county for the platform would be small because the vendor rebates supply purchases back to the county.

Why it matters: The purchases update frontline emergency equipment and add a digital tracking system for medications and supplies. County staff said the investments are intended to keep the fleet safe, modern, and in regulatory compliance.

Votes and procedure: Each item was approved following motions and seconds reported by the chair; votes were recorded as “Aye” with no opposition. The ambulance and pumper purchases were funded from SPLOST project budgets; the Boundtree contract was presented because it is a three-year agreement and therefore before the board for authorization.

What remains to be done: No delivery dates or implementation timelines were presented beyond general lead-time expectations for vehicle manufacturing. The Boundtree contract will be signed by the chairman and implemented by EMS staff, who will coordinate configuration and vendor onboarding.