Label
2025 Used Medic Unit (Ambulances) Purchases = $120k
Fire & Rescue Operations
CFO Tammy Powell (x3515)
Revised
Title
Authorizing the Mayor to award contracts to purchase used medic units and related equipment for the Fire and Rescue Department; authorizing the appropriation and expenditure of $120,000 from the Capital Improvement Fund for the used medic units and related equipment purchases; authorizing the Mayor to waive the formal competitive bid requirements of TMC Chapter 187; and declaring an emergency.
Body
SUMMARY & BACKGROUND:
The Toledo Fire and Rescue Department requests to purchase at least two used ambulances as a means of maintaining 15 staffed medic units (ambulances) as required by L92 CBA Section 2125.97 (2) - (See Addendum A - Contract clause). Accordingly, the cited clause mandates said complement by 9/30/2025, any time minimum staffing is met, which increases the medic unit count from 13.
Frequent mechanical failures of the current fleet of medic units and worsening new vehicle lead times will make it challenging to keep 15 medic units in service daily. Fire’s current medic unit fleet totals 20, of which almost half have greater than 160k miles, with 2 exceeding 200k miles. Consequently, a third or greater are regularly out of service for repairs for extended periods due to part unavailability (see Addendum B - Out-of-Service Report). Whereas, the medic units ordered this past April have a 2.5-3 year lead time and cost more than $365k per unit.
Fire considers said issues emergent and predicts they will worsen over time as odometer readings rise and resultant mechanical failures increase. These shortages potentially expose affected citizenry to delayed patient contact times, medical interventions, and hospital transport. Purchasing used ambulances is a novel solution to said concerns, as it timely supplements the fleet while simultaneously offering substantial savings compared to new purchases. Therefore, as an emergency measure aimed at preventing interruptions to public medical services, Fire requests exemption from the formal bid requirements of TMC Chapter 187.
Summary
NOW THEREFORE Be it ordained by the Council of the City of Toledo:
SECTION 1. That the Mayor is authorized to award contracts to purchase used medic units and related equipment for the Fire and Rescue Department, under such terms and conditions as may be acceptable to the Director of Fire, the Director of Law, and the Mayor.
SECTION 2. That the appropriation of $120,000 is authorized from the unappropriated balance of the Capital Improvement Fund to Account Code 5040-53000-8CP2523FIRAMB and the expenditure of same is authorized for the purchase of used fire medic units and related equipment.
SECTION 3. That this Council finds and determines it is in the best interest of the City to waive the formal competitive bid requirements of TMC Chapter 187 for the timely purchase of Fire Department Ambulances as a means of preventing public service interruptions.
SECTION 4. That the Director of Finance is authorized to draw a warrant or warrants against the above Account Code in an amount not to exceed $120,000 in payment of the above authorized obligations upon presentation of the proper voucher or vouchers.
SECTION 5. That this Ordinance is declared to be an emergency measure and shall be in force and effect from and after its passage. The reason for the emergency lies in the fact that the same is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, and to timely augment the fire departments' medic unit count to prevent undue public service interruptions.
Vote on emergency clause: yeas 11, nays 0.
Passed: November 5, 2025, as an emergency measure: yeas 11, nays 0.
Attest:
Julie A. Gibbons Vanice S. Williams
Clerk of Council President of Council
Approved: November 6, 2025
Wade Kapszukiewicz
Mayor