Four new Hall County ambulances will go into service Friday following special ceremonies at the four separate fire stations where they will be housed, according to press information from Hall County government offices.
"We are looking forward to putting these new, fuel-efficient, technologically advanced medical units into service so they can serve the citizens of this community," said Hall County Fire Chief Jeff Hood.
The four new ambulances join four others that went into service late last year, and like those purchased previously, were all paid for with Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax VII (SPLOST VII) funds. Four additional units are scheduled to be purchased in early 2018, also using SPLOST funds, and will complete the replacement of the fire department's formerly aging fleet.
"In addition to providing a higher level of service to our citizens, these new ambulances are also safer for our men and women in the field, providing better visibility when responding to accident scenes and other incidents that require them to be in the path of oncoming traffic," said Hood.
Various Hall County Fire Services personnel will begin placing the new units into service at 8 a.m. Friday by pushing the first of the four ambulances into its bay at Hall County Fire Station #10 on Highway 52 in Gillsville.
"The 'push-in' ceremony is a nod to the history of fire services," Hood said. "When fire apparatus was pulled by a horse, the firefighters had to unhook the apparatus and push it back into its bay. What we're doing with these ambulances pays tribute to that era."
Following the brief ceremony at Station #10, fire personnel will hold similar ceremonies at Station #7, located at 731 East Crescent Drive in Gainesville, Station #11, located at 5625 Bark Camp Road in Murrayville and Station #13, located at 2709 Sardis Road in Gainesville.
