After three years of waiting, Westport EMS will add two new ambulances to its service by the start of next month. The EMS station ordered the ambulances in 2022 but had to wait due to a delay from the chassis manufacturers. The chassis is the supporting frame of a motor vehicle.

The ambulances are currently housed at New England Fire Equipment & Apparatus in North Haven, receiving the finishing touches before they are taken to Westport.

"The two vehicles that we're going to be replacing are about 10 years old. They've reached kind of the end of their youthful lifespan. So, we have two of these brand-new ones," said Marc Hartog, deputy director of Westport EMS.

The new ambulances feature upgraded versions of existing equipment and some brand-new additions, including an IV fluid warmer. The ambulance is also mounted on a Freightliner chassis, making it higher than the previous ones.

"The benefit of that is that these are really meant for more heavy-duty use and for the weight that we put onto them. So hopefully these could last even longer than the ones that we have," Hartog said.

Hartog said thanks to donors and volunteers who raised money, there's no cost to the residents of Westport for the ambulances. They hope to start using them in the next two weeks.