Bear Lake County Ambulance Service acquires new rescue truck

The Bear Lake County Ambulance Service purchased a new rescue truck over the summer that's already been a great help to them.

Steve Higgins of the Bear Lake County Ambulance Service said the vehicle is a used 2012 ambulance that was purchased from a company in Georgia. They got it to Bear Lake County over the summer.

"Two of our EMTs flew out there and drove it home," Higgins said, adding that the new vehicle replaced a much older one the ambulance service had been using.

The new rescue truck has several features that will come in handy for the ambulance service. It has four doors and is able to hold five people while their older truck could only hold three.

"It has all the rescue tools, " Higgins said. "We have a lot of rescue tools and saws."

Another useful feature on the truck is the lighting it provides. It has its own power and if they have to take it somewhere at night, it will be able to light the area for them.

"The best part is the safety of getting through the scene," Higgins said. "It's much more stable than our old rig."

The new truck is a diesel vehicle while the old one was gas-powered. When the ambulance service first got the new truck, they gave it a thorough inspection to make sure it was in good condition.

"This one has a lot stronger performance," Higgins said. "It had been newly painted when we bought it."

The ambulance service looks forward to using the new truck because it will make their jobs much easier and safer thanks to all of its features. They were in need of an upgrade.

"We used to have to climb into the old truck and get the tools out of the back," Higgins said. "With this (new vehicle), we can access the tools from the ground and we can light the area with the unit's generator."

The purchase of the new truck was partially funded thanks to ARPA money that had been given to the county during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We're thankful for the opportunity to have it and we thank the community for their contributions," Higgins said.