VERNON TOWNSHIP — Officials in Vernon Township have approved spending up to $350,000 on a new ambulance for the emergency medical services it started providing in house this year.
The township did not renew its agreement with its former ambulance service provider and started providing the service through its fire department on Dec. 31, 2019, with a 2009 ambulance the township owns but hadn’t been using. Township leaders determined providing ambulance service in house would be more fiscally responsible, as the township would no longer have to pay a provider and would get to keep revenue from billings.
Vernon Township’s 11-year-old ambulance soon started developing problems, however.
“All the little, small issues that we had before with it are getting magnified,” said Vernon Township EMS Chief Kiely Culberson at a township board meeting on April 6, held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Heating the back of the ambulance was problematic throughout the winter, Culberson continued. She also called it a “diesel guzzler,” which especially poses issues when transports have to be made to Marion County hospitals. It’s a bumpy ride for patients and emergency medical care providers, she said as well.
Occasionally an electrical malfunction prevents the activation of lights and sirens.
“If we’re on a critical call and we’re going lights and sirens and those go out, coming through intersections at elevated speed, or even just the warning lights not showing, could be catastrophic for us,” Culberson said.
At the April 6 meeting, township officials discussed price quotes totaling about $338,000 for a Life Line Emergency Vehicle Superliner Type I on a 2019 Dodge 4500 4-by-4 diesel chassis built to Vernon Township’s specifications. The township board voted unanimously on a not-to-exceed amount for the ambulance of $350,000.
It will take about four months for the ambulance to be built.
The township plans to enter into a lease-purchase agreement for the ambulance with annual payments. Vernon Township Trustee Florence May told the Daily Reporter that the terms of the agreement are still being determined.
Payments for the ambulance will come out of the township’s cumulative fire fund, which can only be used on equipment, May said. She added a bidding firm helped the township get the best possible price for the ambulance.
Culberson said in the future, the back of the new ambulance will be able to be placed on a new chassis when necessary. She added depending on wear and tear, an ambulance “box” usually lasts about eight to 10 years if it’s taken care of.
The township’s current ambulance will be able to be used as a backup and for training, Culberson also said.
