Region will donate end-of-life vehicles to St. John Ambulance Halton

A pair of used vehicles are being donated to St. John Ambulance Halton Region Branch for use in Oakville, Burlington Milton and Halton Hills.

According to a Halton Region staff report, the vehicles and their equipment (power loads/power cots) have reached the end of their life.

St. John Ambulance, a non-profit organization, has requested these vehicles to support their medical responder program. Their medical volunteers attend numerous events on an annual basis and these vehicles would be used at community events throughout Halton.

The report says decommissioned paramedic vehicles generate a very small amount of revenue at auction and are extremely valuable when utilized by community groups.

“Each year, Halton Region Paramedic Services auctions off an average of four vehicles that have completed their useful life cycle,” reads the report that will be presented to council next week. “These vehicles average five years in age and have typically travelled between 225,000 and 275,000 kilometres.”

Since 2000, when Halton Region assumed responsibility for the direct delivery of paramedic services, Halton Region has donated ambulances to each of the local St. John Ambulance Brigades.

Ambulances have also been donated to various charities for use in First Nations Communities in Northern Ontario, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, South Sudan and Ukraine.

These vehicles and equipment (power loads/power cots) have been amortized over an expected useful life of five years and eight years, respectively. The vehicles have a scrap value of $33,790 and the equipment has a net book value of $12,297 at the end of their amortized useful life.