Delivery expected on Boyceville’s new ambulance in 110 days

By LeAnn R. Ralph

BOYCEVILLE  — Delivery on the new ambulance for the Boyceville Community Ambulance Service is expected in 110 days from Friday, May 12.

Matt Feeney, ambulance service director, reported on the progress of the purchase at the Boyceville Community Ambulance District’s May 10 meeting.

The first payment on the ambulance will be due January 15, 2018, Feeney said.

The annual payment for six years will be $28,629, he said.

The purchase is being made through a leasing corporation that requires a letter from an attorney stating all of the members of the ambulance district are aware the district is purchasing an ambulance, Feeney said.

The ambulance district board unanimously approved a motion to have the village’s attorney, Rory O’Sullivan, write the letter. 

The chassis has already been built by Dodge, and as soon as there is final approval of the drawings, build time will be 110 days, most likely from Friday, Feeney said.

At the April meeting, Feeney reported the new ambulance will have a “power load” feature expected to make it safer and more efficient for Emergency Medical Technicians to load patients into the ambulance.

The Boyceville ambulance service already has the power load system, and the cost of installing the system is already included in the price of the ambulance, Feeney said.

An article about the ambulance district’s April meeting published in the Tribune Press Reporter reported that no information had been given during the meeting concerning the cost of adding the power load to the ambulance.

The Boyceville ambulance service already has the power load cot, which represents a savings of about $18,000, and the cost of installing the power load cot is already included in the total price, Feeney said. 

The new ambulance will be on a ten-year replacement cycle, and when it comes time to replace the ambulance again, the plan is to remount the box on a new chassis.

Remounting the box is estimated to save 40 percent of the cost of a new ambulance.

As of May 10, the Boyceville Community Ambulance District had $168,364 remaining funds on hand after paying $14,796 in invoices, including $11,756 for payroll.

A note included with the financial report indicated that payment from LifeQuest had not yet been received. The ambulance district meeting was May 10, and payment from LifeQuest was expected by May 12.

The Boyceville Community Ambulance District meets next on June 14 at the Boyceville village hall at 6:30 p.m.