New ambulance to be stationed in Stone Mills
Adam Bramburger
Beaver Staff
Following council approval Wednesday night, Lennox and Addington County is expected to take delivery of three new ambulances and one new emergency response vehicle next May.
Councillors authorized chief of emergency services Mark Schjerning to order the vehicles from Kerr Industries Ltd. and to include about $620,000 in costs in the 2018 capital budget.
In his report to council Schjerning said fall is the best time for ordering.
“Vehicle orders are normally placed in the fall for delivery in the following spring. This allows the service to take advantage of current pricing and results in a savings of approximately three per cent. The lead time required for construction of a new ambulance and conversion for a response vehicle is normally five to six months.”
Three of the vehicles are required as part of the County’s normal fleet replacement program — two Crestline FleetMax ambulances at $135,000 each and a new 4×4 Ford F250 crew-cab pick-up truck valued at $85,000, which is replacing an existing Ford Expedition. Schjerning stated the new truck will be fitted with a heavy-duty fibreglass cap insert to offer secure equipment and supplies storage. An added benefit of the model is the provision for increased towing capacity and space for additional patient-care equipment.
Schjerning reported that in 2017, the neighbouring Hastings-Quinte Paramedic Service ran a comprehensive request-for-proposals process to purchase its response vehicles. It selected the Oshawa-based Kerr Industries Ltd. and was “very pleased with the conversion and vehicle provided.”
The other ambulance is required following council’s direction during working session Nov. 8 to enhance services in Stone Mills Township by tendering the construction of a new base in Centreville. Earlier this year, council had adopted in principle a service plan that would see the base offer 12 hours of daytime staffing by the end of next year and add an additional 12 hours of nighttime staffing by 2022. The move came as response times in Stone Mills lagged over eight minutes behind the County average in 2016.
That $135,000 vehicle would need to be equipped and that’s where the remaining costs apply. The vehicle would require a Stryker PowerLoad/Power Cot system worth $50,000 and a range of other equipment valued at $80,000, including a cardiac monitor.