Copperas Cove donates ambulances to train future EMT students

Copperas Cove traded a possible auction payout for a workforce pipeline, donating two decommissioned ambulances to help train future EMTs and first responders in Coryell County and Lampasas. City leaders said the equipment would do more for public safety in classrooms and labs than it would on the auction block.

The Copperas Cove City Council approved the donation during its Tuesday meeting after declaring the vehicles surplus property. The ambulances are two 2018 Dodge Ram 4500 Frazer units with about 124,700 and 112,800 miles. Rene Bates Auctioneers Inc. estimated similar vehicles could bring roughly $5,000 to $9,000 at auction, depending on condition, mileage and market conditions.

Fire Chief Doug Matthijetz pressed the case for keeping the ambulances in service as teaching tools instead of cashing them out. The city’s decision gives Copperas Cove Independent School District and Lampasas Independent School District equipment that can be used strictly for instruction, including patient assessment, communication, lifting and movement techniques, equipment use and full emergency-response scenarios.

The donation has immediate value for Copperas Cove ISD, where an EMT program is set to launch in the 2026-2027 school year. Amanda Crawley, the district’s deputy superintendent of instructional services, said students previously had to take EMT coursework through Central Texas College. The new local program will put that training closer to campus and tie it more directly to school-based instruction.

Lampasas ISD already has an established EMT program, and students there currently complete clinical hours on Copperas Cove ambulances. The donation strengthens that regional training pipeline and gives students in both districts more realistic practice as they prepare for certification and future jobs in local fire departments, EMS agencies and healthcare systems.

City and school representatives were in the room for the council vote, including City Manager Ryan Haverlah, Mayor Dan D. Yancey, Superintendent Brent Hawkins, Deputy Superintendent of Operations and Support Jimmy Shuck, and trustees Heather Copeland and Timothy Traeger. Their presence underscored that the move was not just a surplus-property decision, but an investment in the next generation of emergency responders.

The donation also fits into a broader push by Copperas Cove ISD to expand career and technical education. The district announced on Feb. 24, 2026, that it was adding 11 CTE courses for the 2026-27 academic year, signaling a stronger local emphasis on job-ready training. For Copperas Cove, the ambulances now carry a different kind of urgency: helping produce the EMTs and first responders the community will rely on next.