Blog

Jul 18, 2023

Levy allows for new ambulance at Mingo fire department

Aug 26, 2023 GRATEFUL — Mingo Junction Fire Chief Brandon Montgomery stood in front of the department’s new ambulance after thanking taxpayers for approving the levy that made the new ambulance’s

Aug 26, 2023

GRATEFUL — Mingo Junction Fire Chief Brandon Montgomery stood in front of the department’s new ambulance after thanking taxpayers for approving the levy that made the new ambulance’s purchase possible. -- Christopher Dacanay

MINGO JUNCTION — It’s taken two years of waiting for shipment, but a new ambulance finally arrived for the Mingo Junction Fire/EMS Department in July.

Manufactured by Osage Ambulances, the department’s new advanced life support unit is a Type III Super Warrior ambulance on a Ford E-450 chassis. The ambulance was provided by Myers Equipment Corp. for $202,850, said Fire Chief Brandon Montgomery.

“The call volume has doubled and tripled, so the ambulances are on the road a lot more, getting wear and tear and beating,” Montgomery said, regarding the department’s need for a replacement.

Montgomery estimated the department, which has six full-time and 25 part-time employees, has seen an increase from between 500 and 600 calls per year to about 1,200 per year, likely caused by an aging local population.

The new ambulance will save money on maintenance, Montgomery said, and allow for more ambulances to be in service at a time to handle the occasionally high volume of calls. The “newest, latest and greatest” equipment also will provide for the safety of the EMS crew, Montgomery added.

Replacing a year-2000 ambulance, Montgomery said, the new ambulance was paid for through an ambulance replacement levy originally passed by voters in 2018 and renewed every four years, most recently in 2021 and taking effect in 2022.

Before its renewal, money generated from the levy helped pay for the new ambulance, which Montgomery said was ordered in 2021 but came with two years of lead time before it finally arrived. The levy was introduced by Montgomery’s predecessor, former Fire Chief John Wright, and was approved by Village Council before being placed on the May 2018 ballot and approved by voters.

“I want to thank the taxpayers for having faith in the fire department and continuing to pass the levy to provide the equipment for the community,” Montgomery said, “and also council for allowing us to put the levy on.

“I personally, also, would like to thank John Wright for making sure that (the levy) was placed on the ballot in 2018 for us to continue to keep doing this.”

The levy’s 2022 renewal resolution, approved by council, states that the levy’s purpose is for “purchasing ambulances and other emergency medical equipment at a rate not exceeding three mills for a period of four years.” Additionally, the rate “amounts to 30 cents for each $100 of valuation on the taxable property” within the village.

A 2022 certificate of estimated property tax revenue by the Jefferson County auditor states that the calculated property tax revenue produced by that millage is $133,899 per year, “assuming the tax valuation of the subdivision remains constant throughout the life of the levy.”

“(The ambulance) is for the community,” said Montgomery, who will have been fire chief for three years on Monday. “Taxpayers passed the levy (and) continue to pass the levies for this equipment. If it wasn’t for the citizens, we wouldn’t have a fire department. All the equipment the fire department has is for the citizens.

“In today’s world, in fire and EMS, everything changes every day,” Montgomery said. “New technology, new procedures, protocols. So, (the levy) allows us to continuously update our equipment and provide better service to the community.”

The recently replaced ambulance from 2000 cost around $100,000, Montgomery said, and the difference between then and now is the effect of inflation-led price increases during the past 23 years. Before this new ambulance, a 2004 ambulance was replaced by the levy in 2018.

Currently, Montgomery said, the department has two fire engines, one ladder truck, a chief’s vehicle and a paramedic unit and three ambulances, including a used one that is kept on reserve. Montgomery said the department keeps three ambulances for rotation purposes.

“If one truck has to go for an oil change, we always have two in service at all times,” Montgomery said.

Inside the new ambulance itself are all the new amenities, positioned with accessibility and user-friendliness in mind, Montgomery said.

“We laid the truck out where everything’s in arm’s reach, so you’re not moving around,” Montgomery said. “Everything’s in reach (while) we’re seat-belted in.”

The design of the new vehicle is meant to match the design of the department’s 2018 ambulance to keep things standardized, Montgomery said. However, the new one contains certain safety features that were not available in 2018 when Wright laid out the first ambulance obtained through the levy.

The new ambulance is souped up with a list of customizations Montgomery picked out that are not standard, including a fold-out child’s car seat, lockable cabinets, an air conditioning duct that sits directly above the power cot and much more.

The ambulance also has a $30,000 power cot, which is secured in the vehicle with a fastener track system that runs along the center of the interior’s floor.

“If this ambulance would roll, this cot’s not lifting,” Montgomery said.

Montgomery said of the ambulance, “It ultimately is for (the community). They get the latest, greatest equipment to take care of them.”

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

STEUBENVILLE — Steubenville’s fall clean-up will be held on five successive Friday’s beginning Sept. ...

NEW CUMBERLAND — The Hancock County Commission is continuing to hold off on an agreement with the county school ...