Commissioners approve letter of intent to hold up to five ambulances as county explores countywide EMS

Commissioner Jason Sharp urged the board to approve a letter of intent to reserve up to five ambulances from an Indiana vendor so the county can continue planning for a potential countywide, fire-based EMS system. The board voted to sign the nonbinding agreement.

The county’s consultant told commissioners the agreement is not legally binding and “literally just takes them off the board and keeps them from being sold to someone,” explaining the hold lasts 90 days and allows the county to back out “with no financial penalty whatsoever.” The consultant said the national distributor had only 12 ambulances available for 2026, making an early hold important to secure units.

Sharp said the transportation and certification needs hinge on securing ambulances: “If you don't have the ambulances, you can't get the needed certifications” to provide EMS, and so “the key to this is securing those ambulances as soon as we possibly can.” The consultant said Highlander’s existing equipment and personnel would be incorporated rather than replaced.

Public comment later in the meeting raised procurement questions. Dale Mann of Georgia asked whether private companies would be allowed to bid if the county proceeds and requested “dollars, butts and bolts, the dollar amount comparing the 2,” urging a county bid to compare costs between a public county operation and private contractors.

The board voted, by voice, to sign the letter of intent. Commissioners discussed that the letter holds equipment while multiple bodies coordinate on forming a fire territory and securing certification and that the decision remains contingent on those separate processes. No binding purchase was executed; the agreement described in the meeting holds units temporarily while the county evaluates next steps.