The District of Muskoka will buy eight new ambulances over the next two years.
District Health Services committee signed off on a sole-source purchase of $1,734,528, to replenish Muskoka Paramedic Services’ (MPS) fleet. They will be single-stretcher models, supplied by Saskatchewan-based Crestline Coach Ltd.
In a report to committee, Jeff McWilliam, Chief of Paramedic Services and Emergency Management, says they normally maintain a fleet of 13 vehicles and replace two or three per year, but are currently running 16 because the aging vehicles need frequent repairs.
“We can extend the life a little bit of some of these ambulances, and trust me, that’s what we’re doing now,” says McWilliam. “Annually, we try to do two [refreshes] of ambulances, and that’s just really if there’s things we proactively know will break down. We try to get those replaced before those things go. So we do make an effort to try and hang onto them a little bit longer if we can.”
McWilliam says MPS is already running behind by one new vehicle. Because of supply chain issues, he says the company was only able to provide two of the three vehicles ordered in 2022.
“Typically ambulances [last] five to six years, this is a fairly common practice across Ontario,” says McWilliam. “We here in Muskoka put on a lot more mileage than other services do. There’s a lot more engine hours that could be in services south of us, but all of them typically are within the five or six year range.”
While municipal purchases usually go through a competitive bid process, McWilliam says there are only two companies– Crestline and Demers Ambulances– that meet the specifications needed, and both are owned by the same parent company.