By Cameron Probert
Tri-City Herald
KENNEWICK, Wash. — Kennewick celebrated the arrival of three new ambulances that city officials say will help improve the reliability of their services.
Firefighters and other officials gathered at Kennewick’s Fire Station 5, at the corner of 10th Avenue and Kellogg Street, to ceremonially push one of the ambulances into a station bay.
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The department normally has five ambulances operating at a time — one at each of the fire stations in the city. The new ambulances will replace two aging ones in the fleet, and give the department a second spare that can be rotated in when another needs maintenance.
“Newer vehicles mean increased reliability, ensuring that emergency crews can respond to calls without interruption,” Interim Fire Chief Michael Heffner said Tuesday.
City Manager Erin Erdman said people need a reliable ambulance service that can be guaranteed to arrive when you call 911.
“These vehicles help make sure our team have the tools they need to deliver the care when it matters most,” she said.
The city bought the ambulances from Life Line Emergency Vehicles of Sumner, Iowa, at a cost of about $300,000 each. Normally, an ambulance lasts about eight years, and firefighters put about 200,000 miles on them by the time the vehicles are retired.
The city ordered the ambulances as part of the previous biennium’s budget, Heffner said. It takes two years to get a new one delivered.
Firefighters have gone on 9,000 calls so far in 2025, with 84% of those being medical calls.
“The updated design and safety features will better protect both patients and highly trained personnel inside,” he said.
Do you carry firefighting PPE on your rig? If so, do you carry just the PPE, or do you carry SCBA and hand tools as well?
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