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Ambulance trouble for South Shore Fire Dept.
Ambulance trouble for South Shore Fire Dept.
RACINE CO. (WITI) -- The South Shore Fire Department in Racine County covers Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant. But recently, it has had some serious issues with its ambulance fleet.
"It's at a point now where all of our ambulances are old," said South Shore Interim Fire Chief Mark Pierce.
Pierce says not just one, but the entire fleet of six ambulances are in need of replacement. That was very clear on Friday, February 22nd when one ambulance broke down with a patient on the way to a hospital. The emergency responders were able to get it going again, but it broke down a second time.
Under recommendation from union leadership, Karen Albeck said the village board held off on the purchase of new ambulances even though both sides knew they needed to be replaced.
"The village of Mount Pleasant has been the beneficiary of 40 percent of all of the new growth in Racine County," said Albeck.
As a result, the village's budget has increased to approve the purchase of a new ambulance at around $180,000.
"Not only do we want it to be safe for residents we also want it safe for our employees too," said Albeck.
In the meantime, the South Shore Fire Department will deal with budget constraints -- and deal with the other five ambulances that need to be replaced.
The Village of Mount Pleasant is about to open up bids for a new ambulance.