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Pulaski County moves ahead with ambulance replacement plan; purchase pending council appropriation
Summary
County EMS staff presented a maintenance and replacement plan for ambulances that recommends a two-year replacement rotation and the purchase of a new ambulance priced about $264,223 (including power-load system). Commissioners authorized staff to proceed with the purchase contingent on council approval of an additional appropriation.
Pulaski County EMS staff told commissioners the county’s ambulance fleet is aging and experiencing rising maintenance costs, and recommended a formal rotation and a near-term vehicle replacement plan.
Natasha, who presented the ambulance maintenance report, said one aging unit — a 2013 model — has 292,000 miles and has become increasingly unreliable. “This year, we have spent $4,724 to have an ambulance that has literally went 2,305 miles,” Natasha said. She recommended retiring the oldest vehicles earlier and establishing a two-year replacement cycle to keep ambulances approximately eight to ten years old in service.
Staff provided a Sourcewell quote for a new unit. Natasha said the fully specified vehicle with a power-load cot and oxygen-lift system is quoted at $264,223. “We’re looking at 264,223, and that’s with the oxygen tank lift that is with the power load, power lift system,” she said. Delivery time, she reported, would be about two to three months once ordered.
Commissioners approved a motion authorizing staff to proceed with the purchase process pending an additional appropriation from the county council. The motion specified the purchase is contingent on the council’s appropriation; commissioners did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript.
Staff said the plan also recommends a long-term strategy of alternating remounts and new purchases to reduce lifecycle costs; a vehicle fund and scheduled rotation would help budgeting and reduce unplanned maintenance disruptions.
