Ambulance Investment

At the County Commissioners meeting for the month of June, the county voted to appropriate $737,900 from the General Fund to a rollover account to purchase new ambulances. This is an investment the county makes every few years to be sure the vehicles Lincoln County EMS uses are up to date. The seemingly steep sum will, in reality, only purchase three or four new ambulances, according to Deanna Rios, the county finance director. 

However, this year the process is stalled as the county is struggling to obtain the proper chassis for the vehicles. Dr. Carr Boyd Jr., the county Emergency Medical Services director, believes the shortages may be due to the COVID-19-era supply chain issues. His office has been reaching out to producers over the last few months to try to source a new chassis; however, they have yet to secure what is needed. Dr. Boyd believes the new vehicles will be purchased sometime in 2026 as by then, what is now an industry wide issue, should hopefully be resolved. Dr. Boyd stated his office will “analyze and reevaluate what options we have to ensure that we are able to replace our units as needed moving forward.”