The Jaffrey-Rindge Memorial Ambulance has a new vehicle in service, after a new 2024 Ford ambulance was delivered to the department last month.

Ambulance Chief Bill Johnson said the new vehicle will replace the department’s current 2013 Ford, which has about 145,000 miles on it. Johnson said both the age and mileage are well beyond the ideal replacement cycle for ambulances, which is every seven to 10 years or 100,000 miles. He said the 2013 ambulance was beginning to have mechanical needs.

The 2013 ambulance, as well as the 2017 ambulance owned by the department, were both custom-built for the Jaffrey-Rindge Memorial Ambulance’s undersized bays, but Johnson said that custom building is a significantly more expensive option, with a potentially long wait time. Instead, the department chose a stock ambulance with a customized bumper to be able to fit in the bay.

“Being able to find them can be very difficult,” said Johnson. “Especially if you’re looking for something customized. We were at a point that [customized] was not going to be our best bet. This is a model that meets our needs.”

The cost of the new ambulance is $305,350, after taking into account the trade-in value for the 2013 ambulance. The cost came from the department’s capital reserve account for vehicles, and the entire cost was paid upfront. The account still has about $300,000 in reserve for replacement of the department’s 2017 ambulance, which currently has about 105,000 miles.

There isn’t an immediate plan to purchase another ambulance to replace the 2017 model, but Johnson said knowing the potentially long wait times, the department is starting to look for possible providers. Johnson said the costs of ambulances have increased dramatically in the last 10 years. When the department purchased the 2017 model, the cost was $187,000, compared to the $305,000 paid for the 2024 model.

Johnson said the new model includes power lift features, both for lifting stretchers into the back of the ambulance and lifting oxygen tanks inside the ambulance, which neither of the department’s current ambulances have.

Those improvements can be crucial to personnel, as one of the most-common career injuries in emergency services is back injuries.

“Having devices that help lift is a big way of keeping our staff healthy,” Johnson said.

The department rotates its primary ambulance each month, with the secondary ambulance standing by for secondary calls or mass-casualty events.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.