The Shreveport (La.) Fire Department now uses single paramedic rapid-intervention non-transport (SPRINT) units instead of full-sized fire engines on medical calls. Chief Brian Crawford said that a pilot program showed that SUVs were more economical to maintain and service than full-sized engines and could respond to medical calls quicker.

Crawford said he began reviewing his budget to find cost-cutting measures, while still being able to provide a high level of service to residents. One idea was to use a more rapidly responding, fuel-efficient vehicle for EMS calls instead of fire engines. In the past, when an EMS call came in, the closest engine company was deployed. He said there are 20 engines and only 10 ambulances in the department, so “the chances are the engine will get to a patient faster than an ambulance,” he said.

“That’s why the engine is sent first to provide BLS care. Then, the ambulance would come in and do the transport if necessary,” Crawford said. “But it didn’t make sense that we were sending a piece of equipment that was never designed to make 10, 12, 15 runs a day for EMS calls.”

Crawford created a data sheet that compared fuel and replacement costs when engines responded to EMS calls (see chart). For example, its busiest engine responded to 3,600 calls annually and only got about at 2 miles per gallon.

“An SUV gets 15 miles a gallon and that isn’t great, but it’s a heck of a lot better than an engine that gets 2 miles to the gallon,” Crawford said.

In addition, the engine had to be replaced and put into reserve every five years because it had 100,000 miles on it — many of which resulted from EMS calls.

A pilot program proved the efficacy of the program, Crawford said. He found in the first month of the program that the department saved $600 in fuel costs every 10 days and also reduced mileage and daily maintenance costs of engines.

“Between the gas mileage, the annual maintenance and the fact that I was not going to have to replace a half-million dollar engine in five years but rather we were expecting to replace it in 10 years, it was an obvious cost saver,” he said.

In addition, Crawford said they were able to get out of the station and onto scenes quicker using the SPRINT vehicle. Also, drivers were able to maneuver more ably through inner-city service areas that often have narrow streets and cars parked on each side, he said.

“We were able to get in and out of tight areas a lot quicker than a huge fire truck was,” he said.

Now, the department has seven SPRINTs. They are Ford Expeditions secured through a state contract for $25,000. The medical equipment costs about $75,000 because they are ALS paramedic units, Crawford said. Because the city didn’t have the budget to cover the vehicles, the fire department lobbied for and received a $700,000 donation from Willis-Knighton Health System, a local healthcare company, to pay for the units.

“There are a lot business out there that are willing to step up to the plate and be good, civic-minded community supporters,” Crawford said about the donation. “A lot of times, they are just waiting to be asked to help.”

Maintenance Costs Comparisons and Specs

Cost factor comparison between a one-half ton SUV (Ford Expedition) and a fire department engine.

Service/Item	SFD Engine Cost	SPRINT Cost
Oil and filter change	$175	$25.95
Complete brake job	$3,600	$270
Set of tires (installed)	$1,800	$625
Replacement of battery	$429	$53.95
Alternator replacement	$1,195	$125
Windshield replacement	$2,400	$600
Vehicle Specs	SFD Engine Cost	SPRINT Cost
Weight (all equipment)	43,000 lbs.	3,900 lbs.
Fuel capacity	2-3 mpg	15-20 mpg
Vehicle cost	$450,000	$25,000
Cost	$50,000	$75,000*

* Advanced medical equipment is considerably higher in cost than standard fire equipment.