DALTON, Mass. — The Fire District is considering accelerating its timeline for purchasing a new ambulance because of an unexpected opportunity. 

 

The ambulance committee has been speaking with ambulance purveyors who informed them that the projected cost of an ambulance is about $450,000 to $500,000 with a build time of three years, interim Fire Chief Chris Cachat said during last month's Board of Water Commissioners meeting. 

 

However, in the last couple of weeks, one of these sellers returned to the district to inform it that another agency backed out of a vehicle order last minute, so an ambulance became available early. 

 

The anticipated cost is about $345,000 to be rolled out as an Advanced Life Support unit, Cachat said during Tuesday's Board of Water Commissioners meeting. 

 

The projected cost would include transferring the radios and power load stretcher system from the district's old ambulance to the new one, he said. 

 

"I believe it is the Fire District’s and the Fire Department's best interest to look at possibly purchasing an ambulance right away. This ambulance is going to give us everything that we're looking for [and] it's available now," Cachat said. 

 

This apparatus would be an F450 series, which is a pickup-style, two-wheel drive, so it would have a larger motor and transmission, heavier-duty brakes, and just an all-around heavy-duty vehicle, he said. 

 

Additionally, the price increase that the district would face if it waited three years is no longer a concern, and the trade-in values now are greater than what it will be three years from now, he said. 

 

During the meeting, Cachat was hesitant to disclose the seller of the apparatus because of concerns that another department might learn about it and preemptively acquire it before the district could.

 

The station has two ambulances — a 2016 International and a 2019 Ford 50. However, only the  Ford 50 still operates as an Advanced Life Support vehicle. 

 

It has been demonstrated both vehicles need to be replaced due to their deteriorating condition. 

 

"Both rigs have their own issues [the Ford] which, in my opinion, is in better condition still, is fairly unpredictable and unreliable in terms of starting, which is kind of crucial to us being able to make transfers on time," said Charlotte Crane, fire prevention officer and emergency medical technician.. 

 

Cachat said the ambulance committee will examine the apparatus to ensure that it meets the department's specifications and is "exactly what we're looking for."

 

"So, we're hoping that we can act on this soon before somebody else grabs it from us," he said. 

 

Cachat said he does not yet have an estimate on what the department can get for the trade-in value of both apparatuses but will return when he has an amount. 

 

The district would need to allocate $345,000 minus what it can get for the trade-in of its current vehicles. 

 

Resident Don Davis asked if the district should consider keeping one ambulance, possibly for interdepartmental transfers, but Cachat said the department does not have the staffing for that. 

 

A special district meeting would need to be scheduled to allocate the needed funds, but the board wanted to wait to see what its chair, James Driscoll, thought about the possibility. 

 

Driscoll was out of town at the time of Tuesday's meeting.

 

Should the new ambulance be sold before the district can set a special meeting, Crane recommended not canceling but holding the meeting to request the allocation of funds up to a certain amount so that if an opportunity like this presents itself again, the district will be ready.