The Starke County Commissioners discussed purchasing a new ambulance for the EMS Department during their meeting Monday.
Starke County EMS Director James Garner brought forth quotes for a new ambulance. He stated the last time the county purchased an ambulance, it was in an unfortunate accident. As previously reported, the county received $156,600 from the county’s insurance provider involving the accident that took place in August of 2023. The Northern Indiana Community Foundation donated a total of $35,000 to go toward supplies and was used to purchase a rebuilt used ambulance in the amount of $22,000 from Osage Ambulances. That was approved by the commissioners in August of 2023. The commissioners also approved the purchase of a re-modified 2022 Ford E450 ambulance in the amount of $180,850. It was noted the $156,600 received from the county’s insurance provider went toward the newly refurbished ambulance.
During Monday’s meeting, Garner stated this re-modified unit has become unreliable for the department. He stated, $20,100 have been put into it within the last nine months and went on to say the transmission which has already been replaced will need replaced again. He noted, the unit currently has 209,000 miles on it and has multiple issues including the air conditioning and module control. He went on to say, due to the ambulance re-modification, the warranty from Ford can not be used due to all the rewiring that occurred during the refurbishment.
Garner gave several quotes for the commissioners to consider in purchasing a new ambulance. After more discussion, the commissioners decided to table the purchase to give time for Garner to receive quotes for used ambulances as well for them to consider.
