NLV rents fire rescue vehicles to Vegas
Las Vegas got a screaming deal on used fire rescue vehicles Wednesday, picking up four rescues from North Las Vegas for a grand total of $10.
A rental agreement unanimously approved by North Las Vegas City Council members will see Las Vegas take over the rigs for a four- to six-month loan term set to end no later than December.
Approval of the deal came the same day Las Vegas Fire Department officials announced a likely end to the city’s longstanding “dual response” service sharing agreement with ambulance service providers at American Medical Response, the Colorado-based company that’s long been at odds with Las Vegas fire officials over the extent of their jurisdiction in the city.
Las Vegas Fire Chief Willie McDonald expects his department will see a 10 percent to 15 percent uptick in emergency call volume as a result of its newly proposed contract with AMR.
North Las Vegas officials say the decision to loan out a few spare vehicles has nothing to do with Las Vegas’ growing medical response needs.
North Las Vegas Fire Chief Jeff Lytle said it isn’t unusual for a city to rent out equipment to a municipal neighbor.
He expects the move will simply allow Las Vegas to fill a void in their fleet while they await the arrival of new vehicles set for delivery by the end of the year.
“This has been in the works for six months and has been done, historically, for years,” Lytle said. “These four rescues aren’t even frontline vehicles, just units (Las Vegas) plans to keep on reserve status.
“At this point, they don’t even anticipate that they’ll need them.”
A similar resolution allowing Henderson to rent one of North Las Vegas’ hazardous materials vehicles also passed Wednesday’s City Council agenda with unanimous support.
Contact James DeHaven at jdehaven@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3839. Find him on Twitter: @JamesDeHaven.
