Pittsylvania County commission recommends three ambulance requests, allows Chatham to keep a reserve unit

The Pittsylvania County Fire and Rescue Commission voted unanimously Thursday to recommend capital improvement program (CIP) funding for two ambulance replacements and to approve a change request allowing Chatham Rescue Squad to keep a recently replaced ambulance as a county-shared reserve.

The recommendations will be forwarded to the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, which makes final funding decisions. Commissioners voted to endorse the requests from Broswell (replace a 2012 ambulance) and Blair (remount/replace a 2016 ambulance), and to permit Chatham to retain its 2011 unit as a third-run reserve available to other county agencies.

The decisions matter because county CIP awards are limited and agencies that keep a previously CIP-funded vehicle agreed it will be ineligible for another CIP award if it later needs replacement. That stipulation was included in the Chatham approval to avoid "double-dipping," commissioners said.

Commission members heard details for each request. Director Key said Broswell's application met the commission's point threshold with 62 points and requested replacement of a 2012 ambulance. Blair's request described a 2016 ambulance with about 96,200 miles at the time of application; the department expects to place roughly 11,000 miles a year on the unit and estimated the remount would arrive in about 18 months, at roughly 115,000 miles. Blair applied to remount the existing box to a new chassis; the department said using the original manufacturer, Braun, for the remount.

Elizabeth Durham, public information officer for Chatham Rescue Squad, told the commission Chatham received a new 2025 ambulance in March and had tried multiple times to sell the older 2011 unit without success. "We would keep it as a third run reserve truck," Durham said, explaining the squad would make it available to other agencies as a basic life support (BLS) reserve without narcotics unless the borrowing agency elected to stock them.

Commissioners debated precedent and costs. Some members asked whether keeping older units would set a precedent that could reduce future CIP awards for other agencies; Chatham representatives and association leaders agreed the retained vehicle should be ineligible for future CIP replacement funding. The commission also discussed maintenance, storage and staffing implications for a reserve unit.

Votes at a glance: - Broswell ambulance CIP recommendation: approved unanimously; recommendation forwarded to the Board of Supervisors. Vote tally: Jimmy Atkins (yes), Ben Meeks (yes), Allen Casper (yes), Ward Rowland (yes), Bridal Shields (yes), Kermit King (yes), Steve Stallings (yes), Coleman Mayhew (yes). - Blair ambulance CIP recommendation: approved unanimously; recommendation forwarded to the Board of Supervisors. Vote tally recorded as unanimous affirmative during roll call. - Chatham CIP change request (retain 2011 ambulance as a county-shared reserve, ineligible for future CIP replacement funding): approved unanimously. Roll-call votes were recorded as unanimous affirmatives.

Commissioners instructed that the commission's CIP recommendations now move to the Board of Supervisors for final approval and noted agencies typically use proceeds from selling older vehicles to subsidize future purchases; if a unit is retained, that revenue is not realized. Chatham agreed the retained ambulance would not be eligible for another CIP award and said the vehicle is currently licensed and stocked (it lacks a power stretcher and certain locking hardware but can be readied for service).

The commission also discussed logistics: which agency would manage the reserve unit, how narcotics would be handled (narcotics must be assigned and carried by the borrowing agency), and housing and maintenance responsibilities. Commissioners asked staff to ensure any decision and related stipulations be recorded in commission paperwork before referral to the Board of Supervisors.

The motions carried on unanimous roll-call votes, and the commission moved on to other business.