Cass County approves daytime EMS response vehicle to shorten rural response times

The Cass County Board of Supervisors voted May 19 to approve purchase of a daytime emergency response vehicle aimed at shortening response times in central portions of the county and providing a second‑call resource when local volunteers are unavailable.

Phil, the EMS presenter, told the board the vehicle would be stationed in the county during daytime hours to cover areas toward Titanic and Fenton and to offer reliable second‑call coverage when volunteer responders are working elsewhere. Phil said placing a staffed response vehicle in the area would “cut our response times to those areas in half.”

Board members discussed vehicle upfitting (lights, siren, radio and a deer‑guard bumper) and noted an upfitting estimate quoted in the meeting materials. Multiple vehicle figures were read from the packet during discussion: a vendor (Carl Chevrolet) quote and other line items appeared as $56,757.40 and $53,740.20 in the record; the presenter said the upfitting bid arrived that morning and he had not yet obtained a second bid for comparison. The board moved (Hos), seconded (Waxer) and approved the purchase by voice vote; the motion carried unanimously.

Why it matters: The vehicle is intended to improve emergency coverage in parts of the county with limited daytime volunteer availability. The board approved the purchase with funding planned for the next fiscal year; staff indicated upfitting costs are additional and will be addressed during procurement.

Sources: Presentation materials in the meeting packet and on‑record discussion before the Board of Supervisors on May 19, 2026.