Emergency manager seeks heavier tow vehicle to move county deployable trailers; commissioners ask to test shared-use first

Montgomery County’s emergency manager reported he had been exploring trading two Tacomas for a 2024 Ram 2500 to improve the county’s ability to haul deployable resources such as barrier trailers, mass-casualty trailers and generators. He said the barrier trailers "the barrier trailers themselves weigh, around 11,000 pounds," and noted towing capacities for current and proposed vehicles: Tacomas at about 6,800 pounds, a Rural Fire Dodge Ram 1,500 at 10,000 pounds and the 2024 Ram 2,500 at about 17,700 pounds.

Commissioners questioned whether scheduling and sharing existing county fleet vehicles could meet emergency needs rather than trading two county trucks for one. The emergency manager acknowledged some county vehicles exist but said relying on other departments can be unreliable in short-notice incidents; he agreed to further investigate trade legality given prior grant funding on the Tacomas and to report back if the county could safely and legally trade the units.