By Jim Bloch
The Port Huron City Council was set to approve the purchase of three 2023 Ford Interceptor utility vehicles for the police department when council member Jeff Pemberton proposed an addendum to the purchase.
“We hereby direct the city manager to purchase AED units for all patrol cars in the fleet and we authorize all costs,” said Pemberton, as heard on the recording of the council’s regular meeting Jan. 8, posted on the city’s website.
AEDs are automated external defibrillators that may be used to restart a person’s heart in the event of sudden cardiac arrest.
Council member Bob Mosurak seconded Pemberton’s motion.
“Just to be clear, we’re authorizing the purchase of the vehicles as well as you want me to put defibrillators in every single patrol car?” asked City Manager James Freed.
“Yes,” said Pemberton.
“It’ll take me about 30 days to do that and an additional 10 days for training,” said Freed.
Okay, said Pemberton.
Mike Conant, the father of Josh Conant, 26, who was killed outside the Roche Bar on Nov. 4, had just made the recommendation that all squad cars be equipped with AEDs.
“I think it was a really good point, Mayor Pro Tem, that was brought up in public comment,” said Peterson, telling Conant: “I thank you for it.”
The council voted 6-0 to add the defibrillators to the $140,142 purchase price of the three police SUVs from Gorno Ford in Woodhaven. Mayor Pauline Repp missed the meeting with COVID.
“You guys talked about infrastructure,” said Conant. “I just looked up defibrillators. I’m told you guys only have a couple in the department. It seems to me you should have one in every car. That doesn’t seem unreasonable, does it? They’re like $1,500. You need me to start a fundraiser? Or do you think you could pull that out of your budget? That just seems common sense to me.”
Assuming that the AEDs cost $1,500 a piece and assuming a fleet of 32 vehicles, the cost of the three cars and the defibrillators will be $188,142.
The vehicle purchases will come through Michigan’s MiDEAL purchasing program and will cost $46,714 a piece.
The vehicles will replace three cars damaged in accidents.
“The intent of this purchase is to replace marked PHPD Unit #13, Unit #17 and Unit #18 which were recently involved in accident(s),” said Freed in his memo to the mayor and council. “The City’s insurance company determined all three vehicles to be total losses and has paid out the following values: Unit #13: $30,788.00, Unit #17: $13,500.00, Unit #18: $17,000.00. Unit #13 is a 2021 Ford Explorer Police Utility Interceptor and had approximately 45,000 miles at the time of the accident (Sept. 23, 2023). Unit #17 is a 2018 Ford Explorer Police Utility Interceptor and had approximately 117,500 miles at the time of the accident (Dec. 2, 2023). Unit #18 is a 2019 Ford Explorer Police Utility Interceptor and had approximately 96,500 miles at the time of the accident (Nov. 23, 2023).”
The vehicles come with five-year 100,000-mile powertrain warranties.
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.Â
