The town is prepared to invest $162,000 to replace an aging fire engine.
The one that town council is close to buying for the Innisfail Fire Department is a 2004 HME Customer Freightliner Fire Truck. It is considered the best deal out of seven that were offered after the town served public notice it was looking for a new fire engine.
The desired fire engine, which is now in Leduc County, is also “unique” or “unusual”, which could be beneficial for local firefighters.
“There are a couple of unique features to it, things I am not familiar with, the pump panels – the auxiliary pump panel being on the back of it. I am not used to that, and that is unique,” said Dean Clark, the town's fire chief who presented a new fire engine report to town council at its May 9 regular meeting.
He said a rear panel in itself is not unique but the fact it has two pump panels -- one on the front and another on the back – is considered at least “unusual”. “Usually you only have one pump panel, which can be on the side or on top, but to have both is unusual,” he said, “I don't know why they do that. I would like to learn why.”
But Clark, who said on May 9 he had not yet visually inspected the new fire truck, did say the unusual feature could bring advantages for his firefighting crew.
“Sometimes what it can do from my understanding and looking at the layout from seeing it in the picture, is that it allows us to do a couple of things, depending on how wide and tight the road is,” he said. “If we can't access the side of the truck for water to get water in and out, we can do it from the rear of the truck.
“The other thing too, depending on how we have the truck set, sometimes elements are an issue, like standing out in the wind when it is minus 40. Running the pump isn't real nice,” he added. “So if we can get out of the wind and be protecting our firefighters, that is a good thing too.”
Town council was told the $162,000 it would have to spend on the 2004 fire truck will replace a 1987 Superior Front pump that has given the town 29 years of service. Council was told the price includes a $3,000 trade-in value for the old truck. The town has budgeted $200,000 this year to replace the old fire truck for its fleet of three engines.
Clark emphasized the deal will not be signed and considered final until he heads up to Leduc County to visually inspect the 2004 engine.
“We want to make sure it is a right fit for the Town of Innisfail and the fire department and that it is operational, and that we don't have to spend a whole bunch of money in upkeep and maintenance as soon as we get it to get it out on the road,” he said, adding the town also wants to make sure it will have the last eight years of a 20-year warranty that is on the fire engine. “Yes, we will ask for that (warranty).”
Clarke said last week he was planning on heading up to Leduc County by May 13 with a town mechanic and his deputy chief to look over the 2004 fire engine.
Dean Clark, Innisfail fire chief
"Usually you only have one pump panel, which can be on the side or on top but to have both is unusual."
