County hears plan to stagger ambulance replacements as lead times stretch to 2–3 years

Dubois County commissioners were told that lead times for new ambulances have stretched to about two-and-a-half to three years, while remounts now take roughly 18 months, a schedule change that will require staggered replacements and advance bidding.

Ryan, identified to the panel as the county’s director of annual services, said at the budget hearing that one vehicle on the replacement list now has about 71,000 miles and another is likely to approach 300,000 miles by the time its replacement reaches production. "New one's still about 2 and a half to 3 years," Ryan said, and "The remounts are about 18 months now." He said the county has a remount scheduled to start production mid next year and is preparing to bid a replacement for 2027.

The department did not budget for an ambulance purchase in the current fiscal year and instead planned equipment purchases to cover immediate needs. Ryan told the commissioners the schedule means the county will be able to skip purchasing an ambulance in the short term but will continue replacing at least one vehicle per year to account for long lead times.

Commissioners asked about the remount bidding process and whether the department has budget authority to proceed; Ryan confirmed the remount at the top of the list is covered in the current budget and that staff will advertise the 2027 replacement later next year.

The discussion also covered vehicle sharing between stations to even out mileage—management said units are rotated among Jasper, Ferdinand, Honeybird and Ferguson stations to avoid concentrating miles on a single truck. Staff noted some repairs are still in progress and additional costs are expected for a recently replaced transmission and other work.

Next steps: staff will prepare the remount bid and bring the 2027 replacement to the procurement schedule. No formal vote on procurement occurred at the hearing.