Council to authorize replacement fire apparatus and pursue SAFER grant as department flags aging fleet
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Summary
The fire department presented a resolution to purchase a replacement tiller truck to replace apparatus from the 1990s and discussed a federal SAFER grant application to fund personnel; chiefs said apparatus lead times are three to four years and the department is operating on older spare vehicles.
Fire Department leaders asked the council to authorize procurement of a replacement apparatus (a tiller truck) and discussed a federal SAFER grant application to help fund firefighters. The department said several front-line vehicles date from the early 1990s and 1996 and that apparatus build times now run three to four years, which makes regular replacement planning necessary.
The fire chief described department practice of spacing purchases (generally one or two apparatus every other year) to avoid simultaneous failures and to manage financing. The chief said two piece vehicles in question were built in 1992 and 1996 and are approaching end of life; the department currently maintains about 28–30 apparatus on duty daily and uses roughly 10 older spare units as backups.
“Because of the rigorous job that we do… our apparatus are wear down all the time and breakdown,” the chief said, and emphasized that replacing 1–2 vehicles on a planned schedule is vital to public safety. Administration staff added that a SAFER grant application would bring federal funds to support fire personnel and that the city is working to finalize grant language to meet federal requirements.
Ending: The caucus included a presentation of the replacement purchase and the SAFER grant resolution; the transcript shows council review and questions but does not record a final vote at the caucus.