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Date: 8/16/2021
EASTHAMPTON – The Easthampton Fire Department (EFD) was recently awarded $275,000 through the federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) for a new ambulance.
The new ambulance will replace an old one that carried over 110,000 miles and a used patient compartment body that was over 20 years old.
According to Christopher Norris, chief of the EFD, the Fire Department currently has three ambulances, and two of those three each had over 100,000 miles on them. In terms of industry-best practice, Norris said that it is best for the department to replace vehicles like those when necessary.
“When you look at some of our transports and transport times and distances – we went to Baystate Medical Center this year 275 times,” said Norris. “That shows you the severity of calls that we go on have to go to Baystate, and then also we obviously can’t have [an ambulance] break down going to the hospital.”
The AFG grant is a nationally competitive grant for fire departments to apply for equipment, training, and vehicles based on “risk analysis and vulnerabilities.” According to Norris, approximately 18,000 applications are sent in each year from this grant, with 200 awarded for the purchase of new vehicles. Cities and towns can apply for this grant every fall.
“We’re pretty fortunate to get this ambulance,” added Norris, who added that the application process is comprehensive. The AFG grant, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), allows FEMA to look at what the city is looking to replace, the current fleet of vehicles Easthampton has, as well as the city’s overall call volume. This is how the organization decides what city or town receives the money.
Norris also added that it was important to receive this money because Easthampton is a primary provider for Westhampton. The old ambulance is on the fiscal year 2022 Capital Improvement Plan but will not require the General Fund or borrowing for the purchase of the new ambulance.
The department will work on finalizing the specifications over the coming weeks. The new ambulance is expected to be delivered late spring of 2022, according to Norris. The city will then work on submitting an application for the other ambulance that needs to be replaced during the next grant application process.