News from the county this week on two brand new Fire/EMS ambulances now in service for the county. Read all about it below:
****DOUGLAS COUNTY FIRE/EMS PUTS TWO NEW AMBULANCES/RESCUE UNITS INTO SERVICE****
The Douglas County Board of Commissioners took delivery of two ambulances/rescue units on Monday, and viewed them following their regularly scheduled work session. The two units will be placed into service at Station No. 1 (Lithia Springs) and Station No. 11 (north Douglasville) within the next week after radio and communication systems installation is completed.
The two new units will allow older/higher mileage units to be moved from fire station to fire station in order from the busiest to the least busy station, and the oldest/higher mileage units moving to reserve status to be used as backup units. The new ambulances were purchased from Ten-8 Fire Equipment of Forsyth, and are Medix ambulances on a Ford E-450 chassis. The units have gasoline engines, as opposed to diesel, which are more economical to run and maintain.Â
Douglas County Fire/EMS Department uses red and white as the basic colors for its fire and rescue units, and the new ambulances use that theme as well as fluorescent yellow chevrons on the rear doors and LED lighting that meet new NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) codes and standards.Â
The ambulance has a Ferno-Washington 35X PROFlexX patient cot that has a low center of gravity making it less likely to flip or tip during transfers and transport. The cot, which has a load limit of 700 pounds, has a locking system that will protect the patient and the crew during fast transports.
The two ambulances/rescue units cost a total of $277,772 and were funded by a Department allocation in the 2015 General Fund budget. Two more units have been funded in the 2016 General Fund budget, and are scheduled to be delivered in April.Â
Thanks as always to Wes Tallon at the county for the info.
