Ambulance NB announced the plan Monday after a meeting between the provincial ambulance system’s administration and representatives from paramedics’ union CUPE Local 4848.
The fleet will soon feature Bridgestone Blizzak W965 tires, which are recognized for having good traction on ice and in both light- and deep-snow conditions.
The tires also reduce hydroplaning and perform well on wet pavement.
Marois said Ambulance NB decided to upgrade to this model because paramedics voiced concerns about the previous brand after a series of accidents last winter.
He said he was happy to reach a decision all of the interested parties supported.
"The beauty about the process that we undertook is that we are very comfortable with the decision," he said.
"I wanted to avoid a knee-jerk reaction and making a quick decision that we all regret, but we’ve talked to quite a few people and I think this is good."
Ralph McBride, co-ordinator for CUPE Local 4848, said he expects paramedics across the province will be happy with the change in tires.
"Research was done, recommendations were made and we’ll go forward from there," he said. "It was a process that (both organizations) worked on and we came to a conclusion and that’s all we can do for now."
British Columbia Ambulance and NB Power also use this brand of tire on their vehicles.
According to officials with Ambulance NB, NB Power said this model outperformed the studded tires it used to use.
Marois said officials had been working on a plan that could be implemented quickly in order to get the new tires on the ambulances before the snow falls.
"We’ve done some work behind the scenes in terms of making sure we could get those tires," he said.
Even though the tire can be used year round, Marois said it will use the new tire mostly during the winter.
"When we get the ambulances, they come with perfectly good tires," he said. "So we’ll be using these tires in the summer and initially we would have liked (the idea of) getting a tire we could use year-round, but the more we thought about it the more we came to the conclusion that we could manage it."
Marois said Ambulance NB will be buying the tires from a number of sources because of the volume of the order and the need for speedy delivery.
He said officials have also introduced a driver-safety program that will be rolled out before winter. The program will provide further instruction on vehicle maintenance and low-force driving skills. (Tire Review/Akron)
