PORT TOWNSEND — East Jefferson Fire-Rescue has upgraded its ambulance fleet.
The new vehicles are identical Ford E-450s manufactured by Braun Northwest Inc. in Chehalis for $149,035 each.
They will be used in both the district, which covers the unincorporated area of East Jefferson County, and in the city of Port Townsend, which contracts with the district for services.
One vehicle was purchased with money from the district’s vehicle replacement fund, and one was bought with proceeds from a recently issued capital improvement bond.
The new ambulances replace two older vehicles.
One of the original ambulances will be relocated to Station 1-2 on
Marrowstone Island, where it will replace a 1991
Ford E-350.
The other will substitute for a 1997 bariatric unit, which recently suffered a catastrophic engine failure and was deemed to be surplus equipment.
“We’ve made good use of our older rigs, but their ongoing maintenance costs were beginning to add up, and they were no longer cost-effective to operate as a first-out unit,” said Fire Chief Gordon Pomeroy.
Bidding process
Former Assistant Chief Steve Craig, now acting in a consultant capacity for the district, oversaw the bidding process and subsequent manufacturing of the rigs.
“We took advantage of a Washington state law which allows interlocal agreements between fire districts,” he said.
“In this instance, we were able to leverage the buying power of Shoreline Fire District and their pre-negotiated pricing.
“This probably saved us $15,000 each on the cost of the units.”
Craig said the district also saved time and labor costs by avoiding a lengthy bidding process, adding that use of the interlocal agreement also expedited the delivery of the vehicles, which arrived in six months.
According to Craig, the typical bid-and-build process takes about 10 months.
With the addition of the new rigs, the district is taking another step toward standardizing the configuration and layout of all medical response units in the department.
“It’s important for our people to step into any of our aid cars or medic rigs and instinctively know exactly where all their supplies and equipment are,” Pomeroy said.
“It saves them time, and in our business, time can mean the difference between life and death.”
The new ambulances will be joined by two new fire engines late this year.
H&W Emergency Vehicles of Hillsboro, Ore., began construction of the engines in December.
Both engines are being purchased with proceeds from the capital bond.
