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La Habra Heights council approves $442,338.99 in fire-equipment purchases
Summary
At a May 28 special meeting the La Habra Heights City Council approved three fire-department purchases — three replacement vehicles, 25 sets of PPE and a remanufactured bottle-fill compressor — citing an aging fleet, expiring gear and equipment obsolescence.
La Habra Heights — The City Council on May 28 approved three purchases for the Fire Department totaling $442,338.99 to replace an aging command and brush fleet, outfit firefighters with new personal protective equipment (PPE) and replace a decades-old breathing-air compressor.
Staff and the fire chief told the council the department currently has three vehicles that are inoperable or disposed of — a long-serving command vehicle, a brush patrol and an inspector vehicle — and described a market opportunity to buy low-mileage, already-equipped replacements. The council authorized the purchase of three vehicles and a budget amendment of $232,000 to account 260-710 FIR 6726.
The chief said some near-new vehicles became available after what he described as “no less than 17 volunteer fire departments across the country [that] have shuttered,” and that several units listed on a resale site called With Garage were equipped with sirens and radios, reducing retrofit costs. The chief also said replacing a brush patrol new at retail could cost roughly $485,000, and staff recommended the used/acquired units as a cost-saving alternative.
The council next approved the purchase of 25 complete PPE sets — helmets, face pieces, hoods, turnout coats and pants, bunker boots, brush gear and gloves — and a budget amendment of $181,338.99 to account 260710FIR6912. The chief told the council many turnout sets are expiring and stressed the timing: “We have a 60-day lead time, so we don’t have that much room. I would have to have an order in by tomorrow” to ensure replacement before expirations at the end of July.
Council members discussed buying 20 versus 25 sets and the value of a regular replacement schedule. The chief reported the department has 67 firefighters; buying 25 sets would outfit just over a third of personnel. Council asked staff to catalog existing expiration dates (naming Rafferty and Angie as staff contacts) and incorporate PPE replacement into the regular budget cycle to avoid last-minute purchases.
On the third item, council approved purchase of a remanufactured 2010 Bauer Unicus compressor for $29,000 and a budget amendment to account 260-710-FIR-6430. Staff said the 1993 bottle-fill machine currently in service could fill only one bottle at a time and is no longer supported for repair. The remanufactured unit can fill four bottles concurrently and carry an expected service life of roughly 15 years; staff contrasted that with a comparable new two-cylinder unit priced near $85,000. The chief explained how rapid bottle refilling preserves on-scene capacity: “We could come back to the station and refill them as we were fighting the fire.”
All three motions passed unanimously among the three council members present. Council members publicly thanked the fire chiefs and staff for seeking lower-cost options and for balancing cost with readiness. The meeting adjourned without further business.
Votes at a glance: - Vehicles purchase (agenda item 5): authorized; budget amendment $232,000; vote: carried (3–0). - PPE purchase (agenda item 6): authorized; budget amendment $181,338.99; vote: carried (3–0). - Compressor purchase (agenda item 7): authorized; budget amendment $29,000; vote: carried (3–0).
Next steps: staff will place orders and update the council on implementation and on a proposed PPE replacement schedule for future budgets.
