PITTSBURGH — 11 Investigates discovered that two new ambulances approved for purchase in the City of Pittsburgh’s 2024 budget still haven’t been ordered, and confusion over the design and specifications apparently led to the delays.
“We will add new vehicles to ensure that Fire, EMS and Police fleet are adequately prepared to respond to critical incidents,” said Mayor Gainey during his budget address, promising new city vehicles in his 2024 budget.
And that budget included two new ambulances for EMS.
But 11 Investigates discovered that, 20 months after the budget was approved, the ambulances still have not been ordered.
Chief Investigator Rick Earle uncovered the discrepancies, and he recently sat down with the paramedic union president, Jon Atkinson, to talk about he delay.
“I’m frustrated. I’m upset. I can’t understand why the delay,” Atkinson told Earle.
Atkinson said ordering those new ambulances should have been a top priority given the dire state of the city’s aging EMS fleet.
Earle: “This is a matter of life and death?”
Atkinson: “It really is. I mean, we have medic units that break down, I mean, almost on every shift, and we are doing the best to keep these medic units in service, and it’s really concerning that we could have two brand new ambulances probably on the streets today.”
At an emergency city council meeting regarding the city fleet in May, the EMS director addressed the new ambulances approved for purchase in 2024 and 2025.
“In 2024, we’re owed two ambulances and in 2025, one ambulance, we’re owed one ambulance which are out for bid now,” said Amera Gilchrist, EMS Director.
The city’s fleet manager also indicated, at that same meeting, that they were out for bid. But 11 Investigates discovered that was not the case.
According to Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak, those ambulances didn’t go out for bid until early August, three months after Gilchrist and the fleet manager addressed city council.
When questioned about the delay, Pawlak in an email to 11 Investigates said the bureau “was working to update the specs for the new ambulance purchases to ensure that the equipment we were ordering met the evolving needs of our medics.”
Earle: “Why would it take a year and a half to get specs?”
Atkinson: “That’s a great question. I don’t have an answer for you, and the spec really doesn’t change a whole lot from year to year.”
Minutes from the city of Pittsburgh’s Equipment Leasing Authority obtained by 11 Investigates offer some insight into the delays and confusion.
From this past January: “fleet is still awaiting EMS ambulances finalized specs to complete the outstanding orders for 2024.”
Then, three months later in April: “there was confusion on the development of a spec for the EMS ambulance on the 2024 vehicle acquisition plan. He (fleet manager) was under the impression the vendor was going to be developing this spec. However, it has now been fully developed by the department and will be placed out to bid.
But for some reason, that didn’t happen until four months later in August.
“It seems like the fleet is just not receiving the attention that it needs. and the result is we’re using medic units that are old and unreliable,” said Atkinson.
EMS said they were under the impression the bids had gone out the month before that council meeting, and they didn’t find out otherwise until the end of June.
When asked about that, Pawlak suggested that both EMS and the fleet manager may have confused the ambulances with rescue trucks, which were put out for bid at that same time.
EMS, however, never indicated that there was any confusion
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