Laramie Fire Dept Gets Fancy New Ride
Laramie Fire Department is set to get a new $280,000 machine. It will be the sixth ambulance in the LFD fleet.
“It’s totally custom, from compartments to color to seating,” firefighter Chase Brigmon said, who is on the Ambulance Specifications Committee. The ambulance will be built for LFD’s specific needs, which apparently include warmth. “We’re getting an upgraded heater since it’s so cold,” Bridgmon first pointed out.
Other customizations include liquid ride suspension, which will provide better stability, patient comfort, and GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) to better accommodate all the necessary supplies, and upgraded locking cabinets and seating; the latter two options for enhanced safety measures.
The current interior of an LFD ambulance. The newest rig will have upgraded safety features for cabinets, seatbelts, and ride comfort.
“It will also be a custom pierce fire-engine red color to match the rest of our fleet
City Council approved a bid to Braun Northwest in Chehalis, WA for $276,292 for the new rig, a 2024 Ford-450 chassis, which is a move away from LFD’s usual Chevys.
“Chevy is no longer producing the 3500 HD, and the 4500 is too big and about another $10-15k,” Bridgmon said.
The 2024 version will differ slightly from this 2023 version of the F-450.
The price tag is steep, but LFD spends responsibly.
“The good thing about this company is that they can refurbish the box three times, and it saves us a chunk of money each time. We put about 12k miles a month on our ambulance fleet and they get refurbished roughly every 18 months. A whole new build is roughly every 5 years. A refurbished ambulance saves roughly 100k each time it's refurbished.”
The new rig will be complete in about six months.
Wyoming's National Museum of Military Vehicles
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