City Council grants Martinsville Fire Department request for new ambulance

UPDATE: The Martinsville Fire Department will soon get a new ambulance.

During its Tuesday night meeting, the Martinsville City Council approved Chief Ted Anderson's request for $200,000 to replace one of the department's three ambulances.

Anderson was concerned the ambulance would become unusable soon and the department would have to respond to fewer EMS calls if the money was not approved.


MARTINSVILLE (WSLS 10) - Martinsville Fire Chief Ted Anderson is concerned his department may have to respond to fewer EMS calls in the near future.

Anderson explained one of the department's three ambulances is getting old and will likely become unusable soon.

During Tuesday night's Martinsville City Council meeting, the council will discuss his request for $200,000 to replace it.

Anderson said state grant money for a replacement has been denied three times because the mileage on the ambulance isn't high enough.

"We've had this unit break down with patients in the back. We've had this ambulance break down on the way to calls. We've had this ambulance break down in front of patients' homes," Anderson explained.

He said the possibility of not being able to respond to as many calls in the future is tough.

"This is something that we take a lot of pride in and our guys here want to do this. They're trained to do this," he emphasized. "This is part of our job."

Anderson said if the city does not have the money, he will continue to apply for grants.