The North Beach Volunteer Fire Department is getting a new ambulance, and Calvert County taxpayers are covering up to $471,000 of it.
The Calvert County Board of Commissioners ratified the grant for the unit, known as Ambulance 19, on its consent agenda Sept. 29. The item passed on a voice vote with other routine business, with no discussion and no opposition heard. Board President Todd Ireland had already signed the grant agreement in August, and the vote confirmed his signature, according to a memo from Public Safety Director Dave McDowell.
The money was already set aside in the county’s fiscal 2026 capital budget, the memo says. If the ambulance costs more than $471,000, the fire department pays the difference under the grant agreement. If it costs less, the county can hold back the savings.
What North Beach is buying
The department’s specification, prepared in May, calls for a Type I ambulance built on a 2026 four-wheel-drive, diesel Class 5 cab and chassis, with a walk-through opening between the cab and the patient compartment. The spec was written to be “vendor-neutral,” converting brand-specific features into performance requirements so more than one builder could bid.
The specifications went through the county’s Fire-Rescue Commission approval process, and the department completed its procurement paperwork before applying, McDowell wrote. North Beach submitted the application Aug. 3, and the grant agreement was signed Aug. 21. Stephen E. Stanton, the company’s chief, is listed as the department’s procurement chair, and William L. Gee III signed as president.
The county keeps a stake
The grant comes with conditions. Once the ambulance is delivered, the county takes a security interest in it for eight years, the life span set for ambulances by the Fire-Rescue Commission and the county’s volunteer fire, rescue and EMS association. During that time, North Beach must use the ambulance to serve Calvert County.
The county’s claim shrinks by $29,437.50 every six months until it reaches zero. If the department replaces the ambulance early, trade-in or sale proceeds must go toward the replacement in proportion to what the county paid.
The security agreement and a promissory note can’t be finished yet, because they require details such as the vehicle identification number, and the delivery date is uncertain. Those documents will come back to the commissioners for approval later, the memo says. The builder must also post a performance bond worth at least 110% of the amount paid before delivery.
The new unit comes as the department marks its centennial year. North Beach celebrated 100 years of service in August.
