PITTSBURG, KS – Crawford County will be getting two new ambulances next year after the Board of Commissioners accepted a bid recently from Osage Industries of Linn, Mo., totaling $279,550.

The board opened the bids at its recent meeting held on Apr. 15 and the bids were reviewed by Sheriff Sandy Horton and Joey Adams, director of the Crawford County Ambulance Service. Horton and Adams reviewed the bids and presented their recommendation to the board, according Pittsburg Morning Sun.

A total of three companies submitted bids. One of the companies did not meet the specifications set forth by the county and the bid was not considered. Osage Industries bid for one two-wheel drive ambulance and one four-wheel drive ambulance. Both will be based on 2009 Chevrolet C-4500, medium-duty truck chassis. The two-wheel drive ambulance will cost $135,397. The county will pay $144,153 for the four-wheel drive ambulance.

This will be the first time the county has purchased a four-wheel drive ambulance for its fleet.

The new ambulances will not be delivered to the county until next year, and the purchase of the ambulances will be included in next year’s budget. By that time, the county will have paid off the last remaining note it carries on an existing ambulance. That will free up some $24,000 per year that is currently earmarked to service that debt to be used to pay off the new ambulances.

The purchase of two new ambulances also will allow the county to set up an equipment rotation schedule, replacing just one or two units at a time as they age.