Fire and Rescue CIP panel recommends replacing unsafe Elliston engine and other vehicles; delivery delays cited

Christiansburg Fire and Rescue Chief Billy Hanks told the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors on April 14 that the county Fire and Rescue Capital Improvements Plan committee recommends several vehicle replacements for fiscal year 2026 and highlighted supply‑chain delays that lengthen delivery timelines.

Chief Hanks said the committee recommended immediately replacing Elliston Fire Department’s Engine 23, a 2009 vehicle that manufacturers and county advisers have deemed unsafe because of a steering issue; the truck has been taken out of frontline service. The committee asked the board to earmark approximately $1.5 million to replace that engine now and to push the replacement schedule for another engine that was due sooner but is less critical.

Hanks reviewed the committee’s replacement cycles: ambulances on a 10‑year or 100,000‑mile cycle; brush trucks on a 15‑year cycle; mini pumpers on 15 years; and engines, tankers and pumpers on a 20‑year cycle. He told the board that prices have risen substantially — single engines or pumpers now can approach $1.5 million without firefighting equipment — and that manufacturing lead times have lengthened since 2020. Ambulances that once arrived in 12 months can now take three to four years; engines and pumpers may carry 42–48 month lead times.

The committee prioritized replacement this year for a mix of response vehicles across several departments, including response‑vehicle needs for Longshot McCoy, Reiner and Christiansburg, and recommended funding allocations that left a modest reserve. Hanks said the committee uses age, miles and mission criticality to sequence replacements and tries to keep a contingency buffer for change orders.

Board members asked how the county will cover gaps while new vehicles are built. Hanks and county staff said surplus vehicles had been held and redeployed to fill the most urgent need while a replacement is procured. Supervisors also discussed whether career and volunteer apparatus and equipment budgets should be separated to reflect differing roles and financing sources; Hanks said the program envisions career and volunteer crews both using county‑procured apparatus in some cases.

The presentation was for review; the board did not take formal budget action at the meeting. Chief Hanks said the committee’s recommended allocation for the coming year totals roughly $1.82 million against an annual allocation of about $1.0 million, leaving a small projected balance after the proposed purchases.