by Nick Delgado

Guam - On any given day there's usually less than a handful of ambulances responding to emergencies across the island. And Wednesday brought good news for the Guam Fire Department, which hopefully by next week will see four more brand new medics rolling out.

GFD is well on its way to rebuilding its ailing fleet of medics. After signing a lease with Mid Pac Far East several weeks ago, the four new 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinters arrived on island today. Acting Fire Chief Joey San Nicolas said, "We are just waiting for the processes to go through as far as inspection, registration, and getting all the regulatory requirements put onto the ambulance."

All that's missing is the medical supplies, the stretcher and GFD decals.

The units leased at $10,000 a month for the next year includes twelve months of maintenance services by the vendor. Mid Pac Far East management tells KUAM News the new medics should be handed over to the fire department at the latest by next Tuesday.

Also rolling out is the new revised bid for the four new medics that will be paid for with Department of the Interior funding. It was earlier this month the bid was canceled following a protest by Morrico. "All we really did was generalized it, we feel we still want to emphasize that we know the type of ambulances we need for this island based on our experience and the conditions and what we used or the services we provide," said San Nicolas.

Vendors have the next couple of weeks to review and submit their bids. From there, a pre-bid conference will be held. "It allows a platform for the vendors to question us to clarify anything within the specifications," the acting chief noted. Although the ambulance shortage has been ongoing within Guam Fire for several years, it was the recent death of a newborn baby from Merizo that finally sparked island leaders to respond and act quickly.