Sturgis will continue having at least three ambulances thanks to a unanimous vote at Wednesday’s city commission meeting.
The eight-member commission approved a proposal from Emergency Vehicles Plus (EV+), Holland, for the $376,131 purchase of a Ford F-550 4×4 wheeled coach ambulance and associated Stryker cot and power load system. The new ambulance will be delivered in June 2025.
Wednesday’s vote came after a near half-hour of discussion led by Sturgis Director of Public Safety Ryan Banaszak. Banaszak’s report included a history of Sturgis’ ambulance service since it began in 2022.
“Two new ambulances from EV+ along with a used ambulance were purchased,” Banaszak wrote. “At that time, the ambulance service was not providing inter-facility transfers, and the third ambulance acted as a spare to ensure coverage when a primary unit was down for maintenance or mechanical issues.”
As of August 2024, the ambulance service has assisted Sturgis Hospital by transferring patients to other healthcare facilities. This has provided additional revenue, but also required the third ambulance to regularly be used.
The newest ambulance will take over as Sturgis’ primary response unit. From there, the lowest mileage ambulance of the original purchase will become the secondary unit. The highest mileage ambulance would rotate into the reserve position for use when ambulances are out on transfers or otherwise tied up on calls.
It is recommended that the fourth ambulance be stored for emergency use. It would be available if other vehicles are damaged or out of service for significant amounts of time. The fourth ambulance could also be rented out to other ambulance services in need of a loaner vehicle.
Banaszak’s report mentioned how ambulance manufacturers, distributors, and customers are affected by delays.
“All the manufacturers are experiencing significant lag times in production of ambulances due to labor and material shortages,” he wrote. “Currently, most manufacturers are over three years out from time of order to time of delivery.”
Because of this, EV+ put a placeholder in 2023 on an ambulance for the City of Sturgis in 2023. This allows Sturgis the option to buy with minimal wait time compared to others.
The Sturgis City Commission will meet again for a 5 p.m. work session and 6 p.m. regular meeting on Monday, September 9.
Frank Stanko is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.
