Purchase of new ambulance on hold

Plans to purchase a new ambulance were put on hold last week after the Central Fire and EMS board decided just to install a new power lift cot on an old ambulance in Dorchester. At its August meeting, the board had voted to purchase a new Braun ambulance for no more than $211,000, with the understanding that the cost included a mechanically assisted loading device to help with larger patients. Board members considered it a good deal, since it would cost less than the next newest ambulance purchased in 2018 for $216,557.

The purchase still had to be approved by the seven municipalities, but then it was discovered that the cost did not, in fact, include the power lift cot.

“So, when we added that in, it actually ended up higher than what we had paid for the other med,” said board chairman Larry Oehmichen, explaining why they put the purchase on hold.

Oehmichen priced a new ambulance from a competing vendor and found it was within $5,000 of the Braun ambulance. The vehicle prices he’s seeing right now are “ridiculous” because parts are in such short supply, he said.

“I don’t know if this is the best time to buy an ambulance,” he said. “I really don’t.”

Oehmichen also got a cost quote for installing a power lift cot on Med 31, the 2006 ambulance stationed at Dorchester that was originally slated to be replaced if a new ambulance was purchased.

Board members voted to approve $27,749 for the power loaded cot rather than try to proceed with the purchase of an entire ambulance.

Previously, Oehmichen said “it would not make sense” to install a new power lift on an old ambulance, but the district is also purchasing an upgrade kit that will allow the power lift to be transferred to a new ambulance when one is purchased in the future. “I think we can probably run that ambulance in Dorchester another four or five years,” he said.

District chief Joe Mueller tried to make the case for ordering a new ambulance “so we don’t end up having to buy two meds in the same year.”

Med 11, stationed in Colby, has 61,000 miles on the engine — which is considered unreliable and potentially in need of replacement at some point. With the purchase of a new ambulance, Mueller was hoping to move Med 11 to Dorchester so it doesn’t go on so many runs every year, allowing it to last longer.

“That’s not going to happen if we go this route,” he said.

Mueller reminded the board that the wait time for a new ambulance is more than a year.

“If we ordered a new med tomorrow, it’s going to take 14, 15 months,” he said. “You might be looking at 2023 before we even see it.”

The longer the district waits to order a new ambulance, the more miles are put on the engines, and the more likely breakdowns are to occur, Mueller said.

Board member Dennis Engel, however, questioned whether board members needed to be worried about engines with less than 100,000 miles on them.

“Fifteen or 20 years ago, 100,000 miles on a vehicle was a lot of miles,” he said. “Now it’s peanuts.”

Mueller said the engine on Med 11 in Colby is his greatest concern.

“It might last 10 years. It might last until tomorrow,” he said. “Right now, it runs really good.”

Besides the main ambulances used at each of the three stations, a fourth backup ambulance is also stationed in Abbotsford.

“So, if one goes down, we still have three,” Engel said. “So, I don’t see a pressing issue to go buy a new med at this point.”

Mueller agreed that the district is not in dire need of a new ambulance at this time, but he’s still worried about what could happen in the near future.

“What I’m looking at is a year and a half, two years down the road because that’s how far out in takes you to get one,” he said.

Oehmichen noted that the district just bought a new fire engine this year.

“I don’t know if I want to shoot all my powder at one time,” he said.

Mueller made one last plug for ordering a new ambulance before the conversation ended. “Having upgraded and new equipment does attract more people,” he said. “It does help in recruitment.”

Other business

_ Not enough of the municipalities voted on the district’s 2022 budget at their latest meetings, so the proposal remains unadopted as of last week’s meeting.

The city councils in Abbotsford and Colby, along with the town board in Hull, had not yet voted on the budget by the time of the Sept. 16 meeting. The town boards in Holton, Colby, and Mayville, along with the village board in Dorchester, all voted yes, but that was not enough to reach the threshold for final passage.

Municipalities representing 66.6 percent of the district’s property value must vote to approve the budget, and the cities of Abbotsford and Colby and the town of Hull have the largest shares of value.

“Make sure you get on the agenda if you haven’t done that yet,” Oehmichen told the board members.

_ Oehmichen explained his plan to have the district’s townships turn over part of their American Rescue Act funds to the district in exchange for a reduction in their annual fire protection fees. The money would be used to train and equip EMTs and firefighters.

The cities of Abbotsford and Colby and the village of Dorchester already have plans to spend their ARA funds on water and sewer projects, which is not an option for the townships.

Oehmichen said he spoke to an attorney with the Wisconsin Towns Association, who didn’t see any legal problems with the townships exchanging ARA money for fire protection credits, which would free up money for townships to spend on their own.

Board members Pat Tischendorft from the town Holton said plenty of ARA money could be provided to the district in lieu of local tax dollars.

“So, you could easily chip in half your dues, at least,” he said.

Oehmichen said he would like to know much each municipality is getting from ARA fund by the board’s next meeting.

_ Mueller said a new LUCAS chest compression device was bought for the Colby station, so all three stations now have one for use in their ambulances.