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Grand Coulee’s volunteer fire chief, Richard Paris, has asked the council to give him authority to sign an interlocal purchasing agreement with Snohomish County Fire District 3, so Grand Coulee could “piggy-back” with that agency in the purchase of a new ambulance.

Paris said the city has enough in its fire department equipment reserve fund for the purchase and that he had placed a $160,000 request in the 2015 budget, which was approved by the council.

Paris said that piggy-backing with another agency that has already gone through the effort to order an ambulance will save the city some money and also enable the department to get the equipment sooner.

Paris said it was his hope that the ambulance would come in at less than $150,000.

The current ambulance has high mileage and needs to be replaced, Paris told the council.

The Grand Coulee ambulance bid will piggy-back with a bid Snohomish County Fire District made in March of 2013.

Paris said Grand Coulee will pick up the ambulance in Chehalis, Wash., where the ambulance will be assembled on a Ford chassis.