DALTON, Mass. — The Fire District ambulance committee is evaluating different options and timelines to determine the most feasible way of replacing its ambulances. 

 

The station has two ambulances — a 2016 International and a 2019 Ford 50. In September, it was reported that the International had been out of service for the last month because of brake issues. 

 

The International is back and running; however, the new Ambulance Director Morgan McDonough decided to have it operate as a Basic Life Support ambulance to save money on narcotics and staffing, interim Fire Chief Chris Cachat said during last week's Board of Water Commissioners meeting. 

 

This has been going well, he said. 

 

Cachat said it can be swapped back to Advanced Life Support at a moment's notice. 

 

The Ford 50 is still operating as an Advanced Life Support vehicle. However, during the September meeting, it was reported that a replacement vehicle would be needed in the future because it was not designed to handle the additional load of ALS, leading to accelerated wear and tear. 

 

When the district took over the ambulance service from the association, it only offered Basic Life Support. 

 

Cachat said a committee member has spoken with suppliers, one of whom said there is a waiting list "anywhere from two or three years."

 

"They would also engage in a non-binding, basically agreement that you would be put into a queue for an ambulance. It's almost like a waiting list, but it's a nonbinding. You don't have to put any money down," 

 

"If your department comes up in the queue, then you design and build an ambulance. The downside of that is the three years, and also what your trading values are going to be three years from now." 

 

The other supplier is building a number of different types of ambulance models on spec and the wait for the ambulance would be two years, Cachat said.