INNISFAIL - Town council has approved the purchase of a combined engine and rescue firefighting truck that will arrive for service next year at a cost of more than half a million dollars.
In a presentation at council's regular meeting on June 25, Gary Leith, chief of the Innisfail Fire Department, said the town has an "aging" firefighting fleet, with its current engine truck timing out in 2019 after 15 years of service as a front-line vehicle. He noted the department's current rescue truck will reach its 20-year service mark next year.
Leith said both vehicles have required increasing maintenance work and cost over the past three years to maintain operational capabilities.
He said the best option was to replace the two vehicles with a new rescue pumper that will combine the capabilities of both.
"This will provide efficiencies in response and safer systems of work for responders when minimum numbers are available with reduced maintenance, cost and time," Leith told council through his report.
His report said the town issued a request for proposal for a new combined replacement vehicle in late April and two bids were received. Council was told a bid from Rocky Mountain Phoenix was chosen to build a RosenBauer Rescue Pumper as it was the lowest bid at $638,130 and came with the highest trade-in value for the old engine truck.
With the trade-in value for the old engine truck at $75,000, the final total cost of the new rescue pumper will be $563,130, with those funds coming from the town's fire reserve fund, council was told.
"It is less than what I expected. The only disappointment was the trade-in value of the engine truck," said Leith. "Originally the trade-in value was estimated to be around $120,000 but it came in significantly lower, based on its age and its very specific type."
He said the current rescue truck will be sold off with an estimated value of up to $60,000 once the new rescue pumper is delivered in August 2019.
