Calexico approves ambulance purchase

CALEXICO — With its only two ambulance units currently out of service, the Calexico Fire Department received needed help thanks to a recent Calexico City Council decision.

During its April 21 meeting, the council unanimously approved the purchase a used ambulance unit for the department.

AMR ambulance is lending CFD a unit, which has all the AMR decals on it and is parked at CFD Station 1 on Fourth Street.

This is the only working unit in the department’s fleet as of Thursday.

The two city-owned ambulance units are being repaired, Fire Chief Diego Favila explained to the council.

Favila estimated that one of the units would be ready by sometime this week after receiving a new transmission and a new motor. The unit is still under warranty.

There isn’t much hope for the second unit to be up and running again, Favila said.

This second ambulance, which is not under warranty, is also in need of a new transmission and a new motor.

“But also a couple other things that, fiscally, doesn’t make sense to repair,” Favila said. “Putting too much money into it — things are bound to happen. So that leaves us with one running ambulance.”

The council’s approval will double the fleet again.

The unit will cost $64,000, and Favila said it is fairly new with low mileage.

He said delivery of a brand new ambulance would take about seven months if it were chosen over a used one.

The purchase approval came as part of a budget amendment that the council made to the city’s general fund.

PHOTO VINCENT OSUNA Calexico Fire Department probationary firefighter Andrew Gonzalez (left) and firefighter and emergency medical technician Chad Vokovitch pose next to the AMR Ambulance unit being used by the CFD at CFD Station 1 on Thursday in Calexico.