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Fire chief outlines ambulance and tender needs; board leans to delay new tender purchase
Summary
Jackson Fire/EMS told the board it needs to replace two ambulances, ambulance monitors and AEDs and that a replacement tender (water truck) was proposed but board members questioned the cost and limited use; no tender purchase was approved.
Fire Chief Aaron told the board the department is due to replace two ambulances and an EMS reserve truck, and that monitor replacements and AEDs are also planned.
"So we're due for replacement for, this next year for our 2 ambulances. Also our, I guess you would call a reserve truck for for EMS, which is $12.85. So those all need to be replaced," Chief Aaron said while summarizing the fire department items included in the draft capital plan.
Aaron said the county is negotiating cooperative purchasing to reduce ambulance costs and that some FAP funds could help offset monitor and AED purchases. The board discussed the department's tender (water tanker) replacement: staff presented a quote near $525,000, and trustees questioned the cost relative to the tender's limited call volume. Several board members suggested refurbishing the existing tender or delaying replacement to preserve cash for higher-priority borrowing tied to an engine purchase scheduled later in the capital plan cycle.
Trustees noted the tender is used infrequently—roughly a handful of calls per year—and raised alternatives such as refurbishing the tank supports, pursuing a larger-capacity single tender if replacement becomes necessary, or using mutual aid when additional water is needed. Chief Aaron said pump and small-engine reliability on the tender has been a recurring maintenance problem and that the department will evaluate repair options.
No motion to purchase a new tender was approved at the meeting. The board indicated they would consider repairing the existing unit and revisit the item in future budget updates; one trustee suggested using fund balance to pay for targeted repairs rather than full replacement if funds allow.
