The purpose of this memo is to inform the Village Board on the Fire Department’s efforts to combat increasing lead times on new ambulance purchases. The department has identified the need to purchase four new ambulances at a price of $389,874.00 per unit for a total of $1,559,496.00 from North Central Emergency vehicles.

Background

The FY2024 and 2025 Fire Department Vehicle Replacement plan includes the replacement of two ambulances each year. The Fire Department has six (6) ambulances, four frontline and two reserve. These four ambulances have an estimated 32-month lead time for delivery once the purchase ordered is signed. The four ambulances being replaced were purchased in 2014 and 2015 and will be exceeding their expected lifecycle when these four ambulances arrive in late 2025. The current rotation has ambulances serving 6 years frontline and the remainder of their 10-year lifecycle as a reserve.

Original Ambulance Replacement Schedule

Due to the pandemic, ambulance purchases were delayed to 2022. This along with supply chain issues required the fire department to purchase two ambulances in 2022 that they will not receive until April of 2024.

With the continued supply chain shortages and delays, the Village will have to order new ambulances with the understanding of a multi-year lead time to follow the ambulance replacement plan.

In order to prevent the need to purchase four new ambulances at the same time in the future, the Department will make internal adjustments by keeping two ambulances purchased in reserve status once the one-year warranty expires extending their life. Reserve ambulances are necessary to ensure there is proper coverage while front line ambulances are in for maintenance and for ambulance coverage for special events. Another consideration that effects the vehicle replacement plan is Station 2’s ambulance runs more calls than the average ambulance, therefore the apparatus ages faster. This places additional pressure on the units in service. Given the uptick in calls an evaluation on whether a change in our service model is ongoing. 

Although it was not in the Department’s Vehicle Replacement Plan to purchase four ambulances at once, due to supply chains shortages and increasing costs Staff believes it is the most prudent choice to maintain high quality of services and ensure proper public safety response to our community.

Apparatus Cost

On January 18, 2023, the Fire Department received a proposal from North Central Emergency Vehicles for two purchasing options: two ambulance purchase or four ambulance purchase.

The ambulances will be purchased through the CO-OP Helping Governments Across the Country Buy (HGACBuy), a nationwide government procurement service. HGACBuy offers a joint purchasing program and bidding services to local governments and has a fire service ambulance contract with North Central Emergency Vehicles located in Plainfield, Illinois.

Apparatus Cost Benefit Opportunity

Submitting an order for four ambulances reduces the pricing from $397,681 to $389,874 for a saving of $7807.00 per ambulance resulting in a total savings of $31,228.00. The total cost of purchasing four ambulances is not-to-exceed $1,574,496.00. Please note: a contingency of $15,000.00 was added for the potential of incurring change fees.

Payment is not due until delivery of the ambulances in late 2025.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Village Board approve the purchase of four Braun ambulances from North Central Emergency Vehicles, for a total not-to-exceed $1,574,496.00 and authorize Staff to execute the necessary documents with payment not incurring until delivery in late 2025.