Douglas County Fire Chief Scott Spencer proudly showed off two new ambulance/rescue units to the members of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Jan. 8. The two new bariatric transport units will be dispatched out of Fire Station No. 2 in Winston and Fire Station No. 5 on Chapel Hill Road when put into service later this month. The new units will replace two older and lighter-duty rescues that will be placed in reserve status to be used when the front-line units are in for maintenance or otherwise not available.

The new ambulance/rescue units utilizes a medium-duty chassis that is designed to carry heavier loads, and features a ramp and wench system to help in the transport of patients, lessening the physical strain on first responders.  The medium-duty chassis, made by Freightliner, should allow a longer life span than the lighter-duty ones being replaced.

All ambulance/rescue units of the Douglas County Fire/EMS Department offer Advanced Life Support, and each is manned by a Paramedic and an Emergency Medical Technician, both of whom are also certified firefighters.

The new units cost approximately $179,000 each; were purchased from Custom Truck and Body Works of Woodbury, Georgia; and were paid for from 2002 SPLOST revenues designated for this purpose. The purchase of these two rescues completes all purchases of Fire/EMS specialty vehicles authorized in the 2002 SPLOST. The Fire/EMS Department had delayed these purchases until absolutely necessary to get the most life out of the existing rescue units.

“These new rescue units will allow our Fire/EMS personnel to better meet the emergency needs of our residents," Douglas County Commission Chairman Tom Worthan stated. "The men and women of the Douglas County Fire/EMS Department do a magnificent job in taking care of our citizens, and we are pleased to be able to provide them with updated equipment to aid their efforts.”