Mountain View County councillors have deferred a vote on two funding requests for new vehicles for the Olds fire department pending an appearance before council by the Olds fire chief.
During the May 8 council meeting, councillors reviewed a proposal that would see the county spend $215,000 towards the purchase of a new $430,000 fire rescue vehicle.
“The apparatus is used for rescue and extrication, motor vehicle collisions, machinery entrapment, large rig collisions and rope rescue are the primary use of the vehicle however the replacement vehicle will be able to effectively provide more storage for ice rescue and dangerous goods response equipment,” CAO Tony Martens said in a note to council.
During the May 8 council meeting, councillors were also asked to consider spending $35,000 toward the purchase of a new command truck for the Olds fire department.
Councillors passed a motion deferring any votes on the proposed vehicle purchases until the fire chief can appear before council, probably in June.
Reeve Bruce Beattie said council wants to hear more details about the vehicles from the chief himself.
“It's a substantial investment so we want to get a little more understanding of what we are getting for our contribution,” said Beattie, “and we want to make sure that we understand that before we make that kind of commitment.”
MVC council recently approved the purchase of a new fire vehicle for the Cremona-Water Valley fire department, at a cost of $433,609 as well, and an additional $32,000 for accessory equipment for the vehicle.
