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Macungie Ambulance asks Upper Milford to consider ARPA contribution for $200,000 ambulance
Summary
A Macungie Ambulance representative asked Upper Milford supervisors July 21 to include an ARPA contribution toward a new ambulance estimated at $200,000; the board directed staff to include the request in the 2023 budget but took no formal funding vote.
A representative of Macungie Ambulance asked the Upper Milford Township Board of Supervisors on July 21 to consider contributing a portion of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to help purchase and equip a new ambulance in 2023. The corps estimates the project will cost about $200,000 and asked each of the five municipalities it serves to consider a contribution in addition to routine annual donations.
At the meeting, the corps’ representative, identified in the record as Mr. Greb, said the ambulance service expended significant sums during the COVID-19 pandemic on staffing, personal protective equipment and medical supplies and is pursuing multiple funding sources, including Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance. He said changes in reimbursement, rising patient deductibles and labor shortages have created uncertainty for EMS organizations nationwide.
Mr. Greb described the corps’ fleet-replacement plan, which anticipates a new ambulance approximately every other year so vehicles reach an expected service life of about 10 years or 150,000 miles. He said the vehicle slated for replacement is a 2014 Chevrolet/Braun ambulance with about 96,000 miles and that its diesel emission-control system has been a recurring source of maintenance problems. He told the board the corps was weighing procurement options — re-boxing the existing ambulance on a new chassis versus buying a new box on a new chassis — and considering whether to specify a van-front or truck-front four-wheel-drive chassis. He added that chassis lead times could be about 24 months.
Supervisor Joyce Moore asked whether other municipalities had approved the request; Mr. Greb said most had looked favorably on it and some had approved it or would include it in 2023 budget discussions. The board did not vote on a funding commitment at the meeting. Instead, staff were directed to include the amount requested in the township’s 2023 budget for further consideration.
The request will proceed through municipal budget processes in participating towns; no formal appropriation or contribution was recorded in the Upper Milford minutes for July 21.
