The Callaway County Ambulance Board approved bids for the purchase of a new ambulance and audit services in a meeting that was business as usual Tuesday night.
CCAD Director Charlie Anderson said the district currently has a 2006 F-series Ford chassis ambulance that has caused a lot of repair issues and needs to be replaced.
"Nobody likes it, and we really didn't feel a re-mount would be in our best interests," Anderson said.
After sending out an RFP for a new ambulance - for both a Ford E450 and for a GMC G4500 - the district received bids from two different companies.
Osage Ambulances, which the district has used many times in the past, turned in a bid of $110,215 for the Ford, which has a gasoline motor and $120,035 for the GMC, which runs on diesel. McCoy Miller put in a bid of $117,939 for the Ford and $128,495 for the GMC.
"My recommendation would be we go with Osage, and go with the E450 rather than GM," Anderson said. "Part of it is price, but we also don't have any Chevy trucks in our fleet and there is no local Chevy dealer so we would have to travel for repairs."
He also noted that the E-series chassis vehicles the ambulance district already has seem to ride better than the F-series vehicle they are replacing, noting, "the staff likes them."
After board member John Brandt pointed out that any higher fuel and repair costs for diesel engines would outweigh any potential benefits to be found in better mileage out of a diesel engine - a point echoed by board member Bill Crull, who noted diesel fuel has cost 50-70 cents per gallon more than gasoline for the past two years - the board approved Anderson's recommendation.