Discussion of what to do with an ambulance damaged in a rear-end collision a couple weeks ago was had by the Stuart City Council this week.

Stuart Rescue Director Sean Bovinett proposed submitting a bid for an ambulance being sold by the Guthrie Center Fire Department, to replace their 2006 ambulance, as they both are two-wheel drive. Bovinett told them the ambulance for sale is from 2003, has 26,000 miles on it, and with repairs and a new paint job he estimates the total cost being between $27-30,000. The deadline to submit bids is March 3rd. Bovinett shared his perspective on the prospect, “My recommendation, I mean if you’re asking me as a person and then me as the director of the rescue would be that that’s a good price, but I don’t know that it will be considerably beneficial. The unknowns are so great that it could be great, you know it could be really worth it, and then it really could not be. So sticking with what we have and then potentially putting an equal amount of money into it for the next two or three years or whatever is better than risking it and maybe getting three or five out of this ambulance.”

Stuart Rescue’s 2012 ambulance, which has around 130,000 miles, is currently out of commission since the aforementioned collision, which Bovinett says would be covered by insurance for repairing the rear. He told the Council, however, that getting an exact quote on the damage has been difficult. Reaching out to the City of Menlo to use their ambulance was suggested, and the Council directed Bovinett to get more information on their insurance provider and other ideas proposed.