At the Emergency Management Center and Fire Department, Matt Perry, Monroe County EMA director and Fire Chief, says many of their vehicles are more than 15 years old.
"In the last 5 to 7 years, we've seen about a 30 to 35 percent increase in the demand for our service alone," says Perry.
The Monroe County SPLOST budgets $2 million for emergency response vehicles. Perry explains when they look at the budget, they brainstorm. "Where can we save money, where can we put the money to make the most good and then see the biggest return on our taxpayer investment?"
To spread out the budget as much as possible, they take the backs of old trucks and refurbish them, then attach them to the fronts of newer trucks. That way, they can put as many emergency response vehicles out on the road as possible.
Perry says, "By remounting 2 vehicles, I've been able to buy a brand new one on saving of remounting, so essentially, I have three new vehicles."
Over at the sheriff's office, the SPLOST budgeted nearly $750,000 for new patrol vehicles. Public Information Officer Ricky Davis says having money available to buy cars means they can hire more deputies.
"Once we hire these people, we have to have something for them to drive," says Davis.
The sheriff's office requested 10 new vehicles for next year. Davis says, "Everybody likes to have new equipment, and certainly, the cars are our main piece of equipment that we use, and it's nice to have good dependable cars to use to patrol in the county."
With these new vehicles, emergency responders and deputies can help keep the community safer.