News

Conn. Council Puts off FD Ambulance Purchase

Chris Dehnel

10/24/2014

Oct. 23--MANSFIELD -- The town council has refused treatment at the scene for an ambulance call placed by the local fire chief.

And the question as to whether the Mansfield Fire Department will get a replacement vehicle remains unanswered.

The scene unfolded at last week's council meeting during a debate on how to assign additional funds from two state grants to the tune of $809,272.

The plan presented by Mansfield Town Manager Matthew Hart, was to stash some of the funds away and also acquire some capital items based on need.

Mansfield Fire Chief David Dagon had asked for $50,000 toward the purchase of a refurbished ambulance that would replace an aging ambulance an area dealer, along with himself and other department administrators, have determined to be unsafe to operate because of "significant corrosion on the chassis frame rails."

That ambulance, No. 607, a 2002 International, has 170,119 miles on it.

It had been part of a three- ambulance rotation with a No. 507, a 2008 GMC with 100,403 miles on it and No. 707, a 2013 GMC with 26,699 miles on it.

The department responds to about 2,000 calls annually and 75 percent of those calls involve an EMS vehicle, Dagon said.

Mansfield recently had to borrow an ambulance from the University of Connecticut because of maintenance issues with its fleet, Dagon said.

He proposed buying a refurbished ambulance with a new engine and a five- year bumper- to- bumper warranty for $106,000, available from Eastford Fire & Rescue Sales.

The other options were a new one for $235,000 and a new chassis with a limited six-month warranty for $125,000.

After the $50,000 in grant money, the cost would be paid for through funds already in capital accounts, Dagon said.

The refurbished ambulance was available immediately as of last week's meeting, Dagon said.

Hart presented the plan to the council last week and it turned into a lengthy debate over the value of a new ambulance versus a used ambulance that included an amendment to an amendment and then a proposed amendment to that amendment.

The council eventually removed the item from the motion to deal with the extra grant funds and promised to revisit the issue, presumably at its meeting next week.

The fire department has experienced "positive operational benefits" from having three ambulances in a rotation system, Dagon said.

" We can satisfy requests for non- emergency ambulance stand- bys at community events without degrading our operational readiness and we maintain ambulances in service when one or more require maintenance," Dagon said in a justification memo to Hart.

" Perhaps most significant is ensuring that an ambulance is available for volunteer members to staff duty crews. I believe the department is best able to serve the residents and conduct operations more efficiently if we maintain a minimum of three ambulances in service."