Starke County EMS will have a new ambulance in service this week. EMS Director Keith Emigh [[AMY]] told the county council the rig was delivered last Monday, but equipment still needed to be installed. He estimated that should be done within a week, and the truck would be on the road.
It’s the county’s first ambulance purchase since 2013. Last month the county council agreed to pull money from the rainy day fund for the purchase and set a maximum purchase price of $122,476 after reviewing several price quotes. Emigh says the rig cost less than that.
The other trucks in the Starke County EMS fleet span the last 20 years in age: from a 1998 ambulance with a 1988 box to a problem-free 2013 rig with 58,000 miles. A 2003 ambulance with 167,000 miles, and a 2009 truck with a history of mechanical problems round out the fleet.
