Burnet approves purchase of two new ambulances
Burnet Fire Department’s “Medic 2” ambulance. Courtesy photo
The city of Burnet recently bolstered its emergency response fleet by approving the purchase of two new ambulances at a city council meeting on Tuesday, April 28.
The two ambulances, which will include a Type 1 ambulance module placed atop a 2026 International CV515 diesel chassis, were budgeted not to exceed $700,000.
Due to lengthy wait times in manufacturing and delivering, the final cost of the units will be taken out of next year’s budget.
Burnet Fire Chief Mark Ingram originally presented to the council a request for a single ambulance to replace the department’s last small ambulance unit that was reaching the end of its service lifecycle. However, further discussion about the chassis of the requested replacement sparked conversations about purchasing a second ambulance.
“I honestly do think we should (purchase two units),” City Manager David Vaughn said. “These things are outperforming other ambulances, and what we’re seeing longevity-wise, these things were made out to really work well.”
Vaughn told council that he understood the weight of the $700,000 purchase, but believed it would be a worthwhile investment.
Ingram told council that the new ambulances’ chassis, the International CV515, would no longer be produced as of next year. He relayed that the chassis was leagues beyond any other in performance and ease of maintenance, and that once production was stopped, it would raise concerns over finding another reliable alternative.
While the fleet will be at full power with a single ambulance purchase, the second would allow the city to wait for a reliable alternative chassis to be manufactured.
“If they don’t make another chassis, we’re in trouble,” Ingram said. “I can’t tell you how much better this ambulance is. There’s no comparison.”
After further discussion between city staff, council, and Ingram over the department’s success with maintaining their vehicles and the unknowns of a future ambulance chassis, it was decided that the purchase of a second unit would be in the city’s best interest.