Council approves two-year Stryker service agreement for ambulance stretchers and power-loader systems

The St. Clair Shores City Council voted on May 18 to approve a two-year service agreement with Stryker to service powered stretchers and power-loading systems used on the city’s five ambulances. Lieutenant Krause of the fire department said the contract covers preventive maintenance, repairs, parts, labor, travel costs and battery replacement and is intended to control repair costs and minimize equipment downtime.

Krause said the city’s ambulance fleet is standardized on Stryker equipment and that while other vendors such as Ferno have comparable offerings, a full conversion would be costly and could create cross-training and compatibility issues. He described manual overrides and safety features that allow crews to operate equipment during power issues and said the vendor provides maintenance support to return ambulances to service quickly.

The presentation listed an approximate annual cost of $16,865; the motion as presented and moved by Councilmember Rebello (and seconded by Councilmember Karen) referenced a two-year agreement amount of $33,007.31. Councilmembers pressed whether switching vendors would be practical; staff said a demo could be scheduled, but switching an in-service fleet would be expensive and risked operational complications. Council approved the two-year agreement by voice vote.

The council recorded no roll-call vote in the transcript; staff described the contract as specialized equipment maintenance that supports patient care and firefighter safety. No amendments to the payment schedule were recorded at the meeting; procurement will proceed per contract terms.