The Chadron City Council has awarded a nearly $340,000 contract to DaneCom for a new ambulance for the Chadron Volunteer Fire Department.
      The bid was either the highest or possibly the lowest of the 4 received, pending on how it’s viewed.
Fire Chief Branden Martens says apparent confusion over bid specifications led to DaneCom being the only one to include an auto-load system for stretchers that the department wants.
The cost of the system is about $57,000 and adding it plus labor installation costs to the low bid of $265,000 from Bellfire would bring the 2 bids very close together.
Martens says two other factors were also important. The chassis DaneCom uses provides a smoother ride for patients, and the company built most of the department’s other vehicles, making regular maintenance easier.
     The new ambulance will replace the older of the 2 existing ambulances, which turns 20 next year. Chief Martens, who is also an EMT, says the department tries to replace ambulances at 20 years for safety and reliability.
The bid was awarded at a special meeting Tuesday afternoon, which Martens says was essentially the last possible time to act and avoid a major price increase.
All the fire department vehicles are owned by the city for insurance coverage and were paid for by a combination of city, fire department, and rural fire district funds.
Martens says that’s also the case for the ambulance, but with the possibility of grants to cover 25% or more of the cost – another reason the contract needed to be approved Tuesday.
Chadron is also in the process of replacing its ladder truck, which is reaching the age limit to be considered in determining fire insurance rates.