The Pulaski County Commissioners have chosen the more expensive option for repairing one of the EMS Department’s ambulances. Rather than spending less than $13,000 just to fix the head gaskets, they approved EMS Director Brandon DeLorenzo’s recommendation to replace the entire engine for about $20,000.
While it costs more, the engine would come with a three-year, 100,000-mile warranty. That, along with a transmission that was recently installed, would put the truck at the bottom of the replacement list.
The ambulance issue has reportedly made it harder for Pulaski County EMS to take hospital transfers while continuing to respond to 911 calls.
While Commissioner Mike McClure was concerned about throwing good money after bad, he also felt that the county was in too deep not to fix it. The commissioners ultimately approved the more expensive repairs last week, but left it up to the county council to figure out how to pay for them.
Council Member Rudy DeSabatine was at last week’s commissioners meeting and suggested looking into whether American Rescue Plan money could be used. DeLorenzo is expected to discuss ambulance grant funding, when the commissioners meet on Monday.
