Roswell committee advances purchase orders for ambulances, gurneys and cardiac monitors to build city ambulance service

A Roswell City Council committee voted to forward to the Finance Committee purchase orders that would begin equipping a city-run ambulance service, approving requests for four 4x4 Type 1 ambulances and four powered stretcher systems with cardiac monitors.

The committee voted to send a purchase order request for $1,288,380 to Citizens Martin Emergency Group for four 4x4 Type 1 ambulances and a separate purchase-order request of $492,686.20 to Howell Medical for four powered gurneys and four Lifepak 35 cardiac monitors to finance for consideration. The purchases are planned to be funded from proceeds of the public safety tax increase enacted under Ordinance 23-10 (2023), council staff said.

The presenter for the ambulance request told the committee the ambulances are stock units the city can “put our names on” and receive much faster than a custom build. “If we do a custom build, we’re three years out,” the staff member said. “These units are … stock units. They come with everything you need to transport a patient.” He said the vendor had offered a price lock that the city would need to confirm in order to secure the units.

Committee members asked whether the purchases would be paid from the current year’s budget. A finance staff member confirmed the ambulance and equipment purchases would come from the public-safety-tax revenue earmarked for ambulance operations and staffing, not the general fund. The presenter said the funding target for ambulance-related spending has exceeded $5 million, based on recent checks with finance staff.

Officials said the ambulances and equipment are intended to let the city begin providing emergency transport and to establish ownership of the vehicles — a required step before deciding whether the service will be run by the fire department or as a separate city entity. Council members and staff also noted mutual-aid agreements with neighboring entities and that the stock ambulances could be delivered as soon as June or July, depending on vendor schedules and tariffs.

The Howell Medical order includes powered stretcher systems with an automated loading mechanism; a presenter said the systems reduce back injuries and are becoming standard equipment on ambulances in other states. The Lifepak 35 monitors will replace older cardiac monitors on response vehicles and engines.

The committee approved motions to forward both purchase requests to the Finance Committee for formal budget approval. Finance will review the ordinances and the proposed encumbrances before any final purchase orders are issued.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to forward purchase order request of $1,288,380 to Citizens Martin Emergency Group for four 4x4 Type 1 ambulances — motion carried; forwarded to Finance Committee for consideration (vote recorded as “motion carries,” no roll-call tally in the committee minutes).

- Motion to forward purchase order request of $492,686.20 to Howell Medical for four powered gurneys and four Lifepak 35 cardiac monitors — motion carried; forwarded to Finance Committee for consideration (vote recorded as “motion carries,” no roll-call tally in the committee minutes).

Context and next steps

Council staff said the purchases would be encumbrances from the designated public-safety-tax fund established under Ordinance 23-10 (2023). If Finance approves the purchase orders, the city will execute vendor contracts and schedule delivery and installation. Staff said the ambulances will be outfitted and delivered with equipment installed at the vendor’s facility before arrival in Roswell.