This week Chickasha Fire and EMS placed its new ambulance into service.

The $130,000 ambulance was approved by the Chickasha City Council in September, and purchased with the help of the Grady County 522 Board. The nine-member-board oversees the appropriation of a 3 mil levy on property taxes to support EMS systems in the county.

"We hold back a certain amount unit we have enough for ambulances or other equipment then release it," said Klayn Hitt, director of the board.

The board covered $120,000 of the cost for Chickasha's ambulance, as well as ambulances for Tuttle and Rush Springs.

"We wouldn't have it without 'em," Deputy Fire Chief Brian Zalewski said.

The new ambulance is based on a Dodge 4500 diesel truck chassis, which is the same model as an ambulance the city already owns, Fire Chief Greg Gibson said. It can handle much more stress than some of the older reserve ambulances.

"We were beginning to have considerable maintenance issues and the addition of a new ambulance alleviates a lot of them," Fire Chief Greg Gibson said. ‚The use of a generator to power life saving equipment and air conditioning eases wear and tear on the engine and chassis, increasing its durability, he said.‚The 14-foot "box" also has a built in oxygen system and at a cost of more than $130,000, it is a top of the line piece of equipment.‚"They're not cheap," Chickasha City Manager Larry Shelton said in September. "[However,] it's cheaper to drive good equipment than throw money at maintenance on old equipment."‚Chickasha's fire-based and city-owned ambulance service is one of only nine agencies like it in Oklahoma. Chickasha fire fighters are also emergency medical technicians, and that helps the city save on labor costs. And, it generates some $300,000 of profit for the city every year, officials said.As long as the economy keeps up they can keep Ambulances on a three year rotation, which keeps equipment up to date and saves funds in the long run, Shelton said. ‚"There is an advantage to the company were using," Gibson said in September.Every three years the company will send an ambulance back to Frazer to have the box refurbished and placed on a new chassis. The process if fairly simple and much less expensive than purchasing new equipment.‚