Kootenai County approves $785,000 purchase of ARFF firefighting vehicle for county airport

Kootenai County commissioners voted Dec. 2 to purchase a refurbished Oshkosh Stryker aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle for the county airport, approving $785,000 from fund balance for the truck and an additional $85,000 for firefighting foam.

Kim Stevenson, presenting the airport item, told commissioners the vehicle is a used 2007 Stryker that would replace a leased unit and a 2001 truck that suffered a catastrophic failure last year. “So we are requesting 785,000 from fund balance for the purchase of the vehicle, the phone cart, and all of the upfitting, radios, lights, etcetera,” Stevenson said. She said fund balance had been verified with the auditor’s office and that staff will arrange a short‑term lease to cover operations until the new unit arrives in June–July 2026.

The motion, which included the purchase price, $85,000 for triple‑F foam and anticipated upfitting costs to CW Upfitters (each over $10,000), passed unanimously after a second. Commissioners Eberlein, Duncan and Chair Metari each voted aye.

Stevenson said the vendor applied a six‑month lease‑payment credit worth $48,000, which reduced the vehicle’s net cost. Board discussion was limited; no public comment was offered on the item. The board authorized payments to vendors as invoices are received and approved.

The purchase will remove the county from a continuing lease of its current unit; staff signaled the need to make a half down payment at order and the remaining balance on delivery. The board did not amend the funding source beyond the director’s request to use fund balance.

What happens next: procurement and vendor upfitting steps will proceed; staff expect delivery in mid‑2026 and will report back as required.