By EMS1 Staff
YUMA, Ariz. — A fire department saved quite a bit of funding by forgoing a brand new ambulance and building their own.
Associated Press reported that the Yuma Fire Department saved the city around $70,000 when they decided against spending $210,000 on a new ambulance and instead paid local businesses to outfit a chassis they bought from an auto dealership with ambulance necessities.
“We wanted to keep things as local as we could,” Fire Chief Steve Irr said.
The department ended up spending around $140,000, a “huge savings,” according to Chief Irr, who added that he was proud of the department for using community resources.
The new ambulance was outfitted with a battery-operated gurney in an effort to alleviate back injuries caused by lifting patients, which Chief Irr said is the “biggest killer.”
The ambulance is expected to be in use for nine years before being transferred to reserve.
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