Council weighs FEMA grant to buy mass‑casualty/response bus; asks staff to pursue application details

County emergency management staff briefed the council on pursuing a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters grant to acquire a medical ambulance or a purpose‑built mass‑casualty response bus to serve the Eastern Shore.

"In the event of a mass casualty event ... we're gonna have to request outside resources," said the emergency official (Speaker 7), arguing that a locally based bus would shorten response times for incidents that currently require out‑of‑county assets. The staff presentation estimated a federal award range between $350,000 and $600,000 and noted the grant requires a local match (roughly 2% in one scenario or 10% for vehicle purchases depending on the specific program rules); staff estimated a practical county match could be around $50,000–$60,000 for a bus sized to the region.

Council members asked about driver qualifications, storage and maintenance costs, and whether to buy a new bus or retrofit an older vehicle. "Ideally, we would find a place for it to stay indoors or at least covered," one councilmember said, pressing staff to include ongoing maintenance estimates in a return presentation. Staff agreed to prepare cost comparisons, match scenarios and storage options and to bring a complete application package to the next meeting for final review before any commitment.

The council voted to direct staff to continue the investigation and to return with full application materials, cost estimates and operational plans. No purchase was authorized at the meeting; the action was to pursue the grant application and report back.