VALPARAISO | The city has an ambulance it can use to provide advanced life support treatment to patients and hopes to approach the new owners of Porter hospital in a couple of months about sponsoring that step up in its status.

The American LaFrance ambulance, unveiled Friday, cost $130,000, a savings of about $50,000 because it was a demonstration model. It also was equipped with another $20,000 to $30,000 in special computer equipment and software to collect and correlate patient information and treatment.

The city is only authorized to provide basic life support assistance, which includes immobilizing a victim, basic airway assistance and defibrillation. Although the new ambulance is equipped to transport patients, the city is not yet authorized for that, and patients would have to be taken by Porter ambulance to the hospital.

Scott Arnold, emergency medical services coordinator for the city, said the department is working toward advanced life support certification, which will allow crews to administer IVs, provide drug treatment, intubation and even provide surgical airways. It also wants to be allowed to transport patients in emergencies, something current Porter officials have blocked.

The computer equipment is provided by AmbuPro EMS, of Massachusetts, and can provide complete medical records of past treatment by city crews, including information about allergies, medications and other data. It's mounted in the ambulance, but is portable so it can be taken into a home to refer to and collect more information.

The city will have two vehicles equipped with the computer system, which means the total cost was about $50,000. The computers will update each other every 15 minutes on calls made and patient information stored. The information also can assist the department in analyzing the skills needed to provide proper care.

"We're excited to put this in service and to be transitioning to ALS in the near future," Fire Chief David Nondorf said. "It's all about saving lives, and this allows us to go to the next level."

"This is an important project that will have a significant impact on saving lives," Mayor Jon Costas said. "Our goal is to attain ALS capability in the near future, so we can increase our ALS coverage by 33 percent. The software will be helpful in treating clients well and accurately. I'm excited about the new rig and what it can do for the city."

The ambulance won't actually be ready for service for about another month. It has to go back to the factory for two or three weeks for final testing and adjustments, and then it has to await state inspection and certification.