City to Purchase New Fire Department Vehicles

At tomorrow night’s Alameda City Council meeting, City Manager John Russo will present a recommendation to spend $189,400 to replace five fire department staff vehicles, and $152,000 to update an ambulance to a new chassis.

The existing Ford E-450 Horton Ambulance has nearly 90,000 miles on the odometer, and rather than replace it, Russo is proposing to move the ambulance equipment to a new chassis.

Additionally, Russo’s report recommends replacing five Fire Department staff vehicles, with model years dating 1990, 1994, 1997, 2000 and 2001, with one Ford F-150 pick-up truck, for the Assistant Fire Marshal for Disaster Preparedness, and four police interceptor utility vehicles.

The City of Alameda will borrow money for the ambulance refit, and use funds from the City’s equipment replacement fund for the other vehicles.

Last year, Alameda voters rejected Measure C, a local sales tax increase the city officials said was needed, in part, to fund replacement vehicles for the fire department.