CHARLEMONT — The Selectboard has given the green light to the town ambulance service’s director to contract with a Plainville distributor for a new ambulance.
Dana Johnson was tasked with fine-tuning a contract with Specialty Vehicles Inc. by the end of this month to lock in a $346,685 price tag before the cost increases by $10,000 on Oct. 1. Residents had appropriated $350,000 for a new ambulance during May’s Annual Town Meeting.
Johnson previously said the service’s current ambulance, programmed to last 10 years, is 12 years old.
“It’s holding its own, but it’s like any other vehicle,” he said. “What people don’t understand is that this is diesel, OK? And when you have a diesel, well, there’s a lot of factors that figure in.”
Life Line is the maker of Charlemont’s ambulances. Due to various supply chain issues, Johnson said, it could take as long as 18 months from the time it is ordered to get the vehicle on the road.
“It’s all a guessing game,” he said.
Johnson, who has been an EMT for 47 years, said an ambulance gets driven by different people on a regular basis. He said some operators drive more aggressively, use more gasoline or take corners differently than others. This, Johnson said, takes a toll on any engine. He also said 75% to 80% of the ambulance service’s calls require uphill driving.
“Most everybody knows that you’re supposed to have a diesel (engine) warm up for a little bit,” Johnson noted, but emergency medical personnel don’t have that luxury because they must leave the station as quickly as possible to respond to calls.
He also said a Charlemont ambulance requires four-wheel drive to handle rural and uphill roads in the winter.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or
413-772-0261, ext. 262.