McKinney Fire Department's new ambulance designed to transport COVID-19 patients

The McKinney Fire Department has a new ambulance specially designed to transport patients who are believed to have infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

The city purchased the ambulance following a June McKinney City Council meeting. Council passed a resolution to use federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding to purchase the ambulance for an amount not to exceed $450,000.

The ambulance arrived in McKinney on Dec. 14, according to a city news release.

The Braun Liberty ambulance has features that include a filtration system in the air conditioning unit. Filtering the air helps prevent the virus from spreading through it and to medical workers, including the driver, the news release said. This ambulance is designed to make decontamination easier, officials said.

The ambulance also comes equipped with an air curtain on the back doors of the medical unit that will keep the virus from spreading when the doors are open, the release said.

When the city is clear of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ambulance can continue to be used for other situations and positions the city for any future health crisis, officials said.

“The McKinney Fire Department has been leading the way on COVID testing and transportation since the beginning of this pandemic,” fire Chief Danny Kistner said in the release. “This new state-of-the-art med unit is a continuation of our effort to make sure our patients get the best treatment while at the same time protecting our paramedics.”