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Coffee County EMS board seeks deadline flexibility for $608,000 state ambulance grant
Summary
At its July 16 meeting, the Coffee County EMS board warned that a $608,000 state grant for rural ambulance purchases may be unusable under the grant's possession deadline because manufacturers and chassis shortages make timely delivery unlikely.
The Coffee County EMS board on July 16 urged state officials to extend the deadline on a $608,000 grant after members said delivery timelines and manufacturing backlogs make taking possession of a new ambulance by the current grant deadline infeasible.
Committee members said the state program—intended to help rural counties buy ambulances—requires counties to take possession of vehicles by the end of the grant period, a condition that conflicts with current production lead times. “The state sent out a grant for, $608,000 to rural counties for purchase of a new ambulance,” a committee member said. “You can't get an ambulance that quick.”
Board members described production bottlenecks: dozens of counties recently placed fixed orders, extending factory queues; some chassis models (notably certain Chevrolet one-ton chassis) are no longer available, forcing purchasers to switch makes. Members also said they cannot use grant funds to pay for an ambulance ordered before the grant was approved and that an order must be placed after grant approval and delivered before the grant ends.
That rule, they said, leaves little path for counties that already have ambulances on order or that rely on a 15–30 day bid process to acquire remounted boxes or used chassis. One committee member outlined a possible workaround: issue a short bid for ambulances already sitting on lots and try to have purchasing solicit bids quickly so vendors will hold units for the 15-day bid period, but members said that approach is uncertain given demand.
Members said they have asked the state to allow a purchase order (PO) to reserve funds until delivery, or to extend the grant possession deadline so counties can realistically take delivery. The board discussed remounted boxes—buying a new chassis and mounting a rebuilt patient box—as another option, but noted bid rules and short availability make that solution difficult.
The board did not take formal action on the grant at the meeting but recorded consensus to press the state for flexibility and to pursue procurement options through the county purchasing office.
