ELLIJAY,GA – At their May meeting, the Gilmer Board of Education approved an agreement with the Gilmer County EMS to provide two older buses from their fleet.

Gilmer EMS provided an example picture of similar Mass Casualty Buses.

The buses are to be outfitted as Mass Casualty transport vehicles according to Public Safety Director Tony Pritchett. The process will involve taking out all of the seating and replacing them with medical beds as seen in this photo. Pritchett stated they have already begun talks to receive a grant to retrofit the buses.

Each bus will house 12 beds. The capability to transport numerous patients at once will allow the service to respond to events such as the bus crash on Highway 515 where ambulances are not enough. The process is accomplished by ready made conversion kits which they are currently preparing to install. Pritchett did not state a specific time frame for the process, but has already begun discussions on where to house the buses in a central location.

However, it is not only Gilmer County that will benefit from this agreement. Until now, the closest county with a similar buses is Floyd County. Now, Gilmer may be called upon in neighboring counties, something that is common for emergency services in need, as we will soon house the two mass casualty buses with the mass casualty truck and equipment.

Beginning the process to gain a new resource for Gilmer’s emergency services, Superintendent Dr. Shanna Wilkes and Public Safety Director Tony Pritchett formally signed the agreement during the meeting.