Loyalist Township council approved the purchase of two replacement fire pumpers at their Nov. 13 meeting. One truck will be delivered in spring 2024, and the second by the end of 2024.
Staff's report noted that approving both fire pumpers at this time would allow the township to take advantage of lower chassis prices prior to the August 2024 changes to engine and emission standards. The first truck, coming in the spring of 2024, will cost the township $706,316.00 plus HST. The second truck is estimated to cost between $740,000-$800,000 plus HST.
The new pumpers will replace first-run pumpers at the Amherstview and Odessa fire stations. Their current first-run pumpers, built in 2012, will be placed in a second-run position and continue to provide service for at least another 10 years. The current second-run pumpers at the Odessa and Bath fire stations have either exceeded their life cycle, or are nearing the end of it, and need to be replaced.
Fire Insurance Underwriters require front-run fire pumpers to be newer than 15 years and second-run pumpers to be newer than 25 years. According to the report, the entire truck industry is dealing with a post COVID-19 component shortage. Acquiring a heavy-duty truck chassis in a timely way is not possible at this time.
Odessa's second-run pumper is already five years past the 25 year mark, having been built in 1993. It recently suffered a major pump failure. According to staff's report, the cost estimate for a repair is over $25,000, which would greatly exceed the amount the township would get back from disposing of it next year. Until the replacements show up, the Odessa station will be operating with only one pumper for a period of up to six months. The township has deemed this as an acceptable risk with Bath and Amherstview both having 2 in-service pumpers.
Council provided pre-budget approval in January for the purchase of one replacement fire pumper. Due to delivery issues in the fire industry, the 2023 replacement was moved to the 2024 budget. With Bath's second-run pumper nearing the end of it's time, having been built in 2000, getting approval for two replacements in 2024 made sense for a number of reasons. Director of Emergency Services, Fire Chief, and Deputy CAO Fred Stephenson noted he had been ready for this since last year.
"We made council aware at that time that, within our 2024 budget, was a second pumper," said Stephenson.
The two trucks are being purchased from, and delivered by Dependable Emergency Vehicles.
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