TOWER- Members of the Tower Ambulance Commission got their first look this week at the city’s newest ambulance, just delivered at a cost of $258,000. The new rig joins the fleet’s now-second newest rig, which already has over 90,000 miles on it. The city’s third rig, with over 132,000 miles on it, will either be sold or donated. Any money made on a sale would be into the ambulance replacement fund, which was mostly depleted from the most recent purchase.
“This is a really nice rig,” said commission member Jeff Damm.
The commission also approved a new three-year ambulance vehicle aid donation agreement, with representatives from Tower, Breitung, Kugler, Vermilion Lake, Greenwood, and Eagles Nest all voting yes. The agreement, which runs through 2026, calls for a $25 per capita annual donation, based on 2020 census figures. In addition, Fortune Bay and Bois Forte have been making a voluntary donation to the fund each year, which totals $10,000.
“The agreement will generate $227,775 over the next three years,” said ambulance supervisor Dena Suihknonen, which should be enough to pay for the next needed ambulance upgrade. Both rigs are now configured to get a rebuilt box on the existing chassis, which should save the service about $100,000 over purchasing an entirely new unit. Each rig can get rebuilt two times, Suihkonen said. Because of the lead time needed to order a rebuild, the commission will probably be looking at ordering a rebuilt box sometime soon.
The next ambulance commission meeting will be held on Monday, Oct. 7.