The 2018 Wheeled Coach Ford F-450 Ambulance was purchased from Keystone Emergency Vehicles through Pennsylvania COSTARS. The emergency vehicle is equipped with the latest technology. The administration negotiated for the purchase to include an extended 7-year warranty which will provide significant savings.  

It will take about three weeks to fully equip the vehicle and get it licensed by the PA Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services, before it can be put in service.The new ambulance will likely begin service in March according to Tyler Ryan, Executive Assistant to Mayor Tony George.

Jon Stillpass and Shaylor Taetz, who have both been working as paramedics and firefighters for about seven years, had to go to extreme lengths to get a patient to DePaul Hospital in wintry conditions. The two had no idea the event was photographed by Carol Parks, one of the hospital's nurses.

The two came upon the scene of a metro bus, loaded with just the driver, that had slid on ice and spun around in the opposite direction. The ambulance itself started to slide as they approached, but Stillpass managed to keep the vehicle on the road.

Though Taetz says the driver didn't have any life-threatening injuries, she was shaken up, and it was clear she needed to be taken to the hospital for evaluation.

The department received a $216,846 grant from FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Program to help pay for the new breathing equipment. The total cost of the project is $238,530, and the city will cover $21,684 of the cost. FEMA requires departments to provide a 10 percent match. Fire Chief Mark Ashworth said city leaders on Monday night approved advertising for bids/proposals.  

Ellis County firefighters said just in the last three years, there have been a significant amount of wildfires. They know just how important it is to be prepared, and Ellis County is about to upgrade an important piece of equipment to battle the flames. The economic-friendly truck will hold 500 gallons of water, include phone capability, generator, air pack systems and more.