Hampton Fire Getting New Ambulance

Hampton selectmen recently authorized the acceptance of a $173,726 bid for a new ambulance for the Hampton Fire Department.

The ambulance, a gasoline-powered vehicle with a 2013 Ford E-450 chassis, is expected to arrive in Hampton in about "180 days" once Hampton Fire Chief Chris Silver negotiates the final contract with Bert's Emergency Vehicles, of Blackstone, Mass.

Silver said he received five bids for a new ambulance, which will serve as one of the town's primary ambulances along with a diesel 2010 E-series model and a diesel 2006 E-series model, the latter of which is used largely as a backup. Only three of the five bids met the department's specifications for the new vehicle, though, and Silver said Bert's was the lowest of those three bids.

The town was seeking another diesel-powered ambulance, although Silver said it wasn't possible because the department requires a second alternator on its ambulances — something Silver said Ford won't allow companies to do on the new diesel models. Silver said the cost of gasoline is cheaper right now than diesel, though, which could present fuel cost savings over time.

Hampton is getting a Ford fleet discount of $5,000 on the new ambulance, and Silver said Bert's has offered $6,000 on a trade-in on one of Hampton's old ambulances. Selectmen unanimously authorized the Bert's bid Monday with the stipulation that Silver should seek the best value for the town's outdated ambulance, whether it be by trading in the vehicle to Bert's or through a private sale.

Silver said he will attempt to "negotiate with Bert's to increase the offer of the trade-in" based on the fact that some of the other bids for the new ambulance offered a trade-in value of up to $10,000.