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Suamico fire chief proposes two smaller dual‑purpose vehicles instead of one $1.4M rescue truck; trustees give general go‑ahead
Summary
Fire Chief Burtler told the Village of Suamico board that the department’s current rescue truck is due for replacement in 2029 and that lead times are four-plus years; he proposed buying two smaller, dual‑purpose vehicles to split equipment and save cost, and trustees gave informal consensus to pursue numbers and planning.
Chief Burtler presented a planning discussion to the Village of Suamico Village Board on replacing the department’s rescue truck, which the chief said is due for replacement in 2029 and has current lead times of about four to four‑and‑a‑half years.
Chief Burtler said the current dedicated rescue apparatus costs about $1,400,000 to replace depending on equipment and that the truck is not used every day. “Your current rescue truck is about $1,400,000 ish,” he said. He proposed instead buying two smaller dual‑purpose vehicles: one configured for confined‑space rescue, vehicle extrication and water rescue, and another configured as a wildland/brush support vehicle to replace an older brush truck (Brush 12‑21 from 1989). The proposal would reallocate some equipment from the current rescue truck onto the new units.
Chief Burtler told trustees the truck committee — which includes Captain Brent Ward, Assistant Chief Chris Gavryzek and other firefighters — supports the idea, and noted advantages such as better maneuverability on narrow roads near the bay and potential to respond to separate incidents simultaneously. He described the discussion as exploratory and asked whether the board would give staff direction to develop cost estimates and a timeline. One trustee summarized the outcome, saying the board had agreement to move forward with planning for two trucks; no formal motion or binding vote was taken during this agenda item.
Board members asked about disadvantages, including increased number of vehicles to maintain and insure; Chief Burtler said overall replacement value would be lower and that insurance and maintenance likely would not make a significant negative impact. The chief said the department would not likely purchase soon and planned to bring firm numbers and a procurement plan back to the board; trustees requested those figures for future consideration.
The discussion produced informal consensus to proceed with more detailed cost, maintenance and replacement‑reserve analysis; no purchase authorization, ordinance or budget appropriation was approved at the meeting.
