Emergency service departments in Habersham County are beginning to get some needed upgrades to aging fleets.
Last week, Habersham County received its second long-awaited ambulance upgrade.
According to a press release from Habersham's Emergency Services department, the ambulance from Custom Truck & Body Works Incorporated was a Habersham County box that was remounted onto a new 2023 Dodge Ram 4500 chassis.
It's the first Dodge ambulance for the county that will be placed in service, outside of a military surplus unit. According to Habersham County's Emergency Services Operations Chief Jason Davey, “It's something new for us in the county. Usually, we go with Ford or Chevy, and we’re stepping out to try this Dodge out. Hall County and Gwinnett County use Dodge and they seem to have great success with those, so we’re hoping to have the same.”
Davey also says that the financing for this vehicle was possible due to the local SPLOST funds, saying, “The SPLOST money with the 1-cent tax goes a long way and helps take the burden off homeowners coming up with the money to buy such vehicles and equipment.”
This ambulance delivery follows one from the previous week of a Frazer Bilt ambulance on a new 2022 Ford F450 chassis, also financed through the SPLOST funds in Habersham County.
A release from Habersham County adds that their ambulance vehicles average 60,000 to 75,000 miles per year, with most of that coming from transports to hospitals outside the county, including Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville, Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton, and others.
