School bus tile

In just a few months, the Chattanooga Fire Department will be outfitted with a spruced-up used school bus.

The Chattanooga City Council approved the purchase of the bus Tuesday night.

The vehicle, a 1999 Thomas School Bus, will be used to transport mass casualties, according to Fire Chief Randy Parker.

"We've had the tornadoes and wind events with a lot of injured at one time," Parker said. "The bus would help us transport them for treatment."

An ambulance can only transport one person, but the bus will be fitted out with eight stretchers and also will have room for 12 walking patients.

The bus, which costs about $40,000, will be purchased from National Bus Sales in Tulsa, Okla., with grant money.

The bus will be painted "another color beside school bus yellow," according to the bill of sale posted on the City Council's website, and will undergo a number of repairs before it is ready for use.

Parker said the vehicle is expected to arrive within 60 days.