One West Central Illinois county is still waiting on ambulances it purchased nearly three years ago.
The Greene County Board approved the purchase of a new ambulance in April 2022, and they are still waiting.
The Greene Prairie Press reports that Craig Smith of American Response Vehicles in Eastern Missouri spoke with the board earlier this month about the continued delay. Earlier this year, the board approved the purchase of a second ambulance since they are on a two-year replacement rotation.
Smith told the board that the one ordered in 2022 was nearly complete, but a bumper that was manufactured in the state of North Carolina was broken when it came in and now, the part is even further delayed due to Hurricane Helene. Prior to that, Smith said the largest delay was due to Covid-19 supply chain issues with the chassis. Smith says that the 2022 cost will remain once it’s done and there will be no escalation in price, despite massive inflation in the market.
The report did not give a time frame on when the first ambulance will arrive or the status of the second ambulance’s order. Smith did say that the timeline to build a new ambulance to order is approximately 2 years.