SAN DIEGO -- San Diego's ambulance provider began using a new $40,000 fogging machine this month to sanitize its rigs, largely because of the swine flu pandemic, it was reported Thursday.

San Diego Medical Services Enterprise plans to use the new machine to spray a nontoxic "dry mist" disinfectant into sealed-up ambulances for 10 to 15 minutes at least once a month to kill viruses and bacteria in hard to reach places, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The machine is something the company had wanted to buy for years but didn't until county health experts predicted a new, more intense wave of swine flu this fall, the Union-Tribune reported.

"We thought this is going to be a really serious threat, not only to our employees but to our patients, who more than likely have compromised immune systems and are therefore more susceptible to viruses in the crevices of a gurney," SDMSE spokeswoman Reema Makani told the newspaper.

Since the swine flu pandemic began this spring, there have been 1,014 confirmed cases reported in the county, including 18 deaths. Two of the deaths involved tourists, while the rest were San Diego County residents, according to the county's Health and Human Services Agency.

In between fog cleanings, ambulances will continue to be cleaned with disinfecting wipes several times a day, the Union-Tribune reported.

San Diego Medical Services Enterprise recently renewed its contract with the city of San Diego for five years. The company also provides ambulance service to Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas and Rancho Santa Fe.