THE Guam Fire Department is getting much-needed vehicles to add to their fleet using Compact Impact funding.
Acting Gov. Ray Tenorio yesterday announced that the Office of Insular Affairs is awarding GFD $1.5 million from the Compact Impact program to purchase new fire trucks and new ambulances.
“Having more fire trucks and more ambulances on our roads will save more lives – it’s as simple as that,” Tenorio said. “I congratulate Gov. (Eddie) Calvo and the men and women of the fire department on this milestone.”
The money will be used to buy two new fire trucks and four new ambulances. The funding will also continue the current lease of four ambulances.
GFD spokesman Lt. Ed Artero said the department will determine where to place the new trucks when they come in.
“Some current trucks will go to other stations and some will be determined at a later date,” he said, adding none of the trucks need to be replaced despite their age.
There are currently 12 fire stations, 10 of which have fire trucks. One facility has a forestry fire truck but one fire station, in Sinajaña, doesn’t have any, although it has an EMT vehicle and an Advance Life Support vehicle.
As for the new ambulances, Artero said they have three that had just arrived and four that are on lease.
“And then we have another three coming in that are exactly the same as the first three that arrived last month,” he said. The three new ambulances are expected to arrive by the end of September.
When asked about the new ambulances, Artero said the total number of vehicles for this particular fleet will come to 10.
With regard to the four leased ambulances, Artero said the Compact Impact money will continue the lease of those particular vehicles until the end of October, which is when the contract expires.
