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Filed Under:Ads, Ambulances
(File photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

PALATINE, Ill. (CBS) — A suburban fire department has found an innovative way to raise some much-needed revenue.

WBBM Newsradio’s Regine Schlesinger reports the Palatine Rural FireProtection District has decided to sell ads on its trucks and ambulances.

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“They’ll be tasteful,” said Chief Hank Clemmensen.

The PRFPD lost $300,00 in revenue last year, and then last week, voters rejected a referendum that would have created new revenue for the district through a special tax increase.

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So Clemmensen has had to look for creative ways to cut costs and raise revenue. He said the ads won’t be for anything inappropriate.

“It would be like, maybe for a smoke detector, or for a medical center, or something that’s related to fire/EMS services possibly,” he said.

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The PRFPD is believed to be the first fire department in the state to sell ad space on its fleet.