By Karen Cornelius
At the Wednesday, August 1, meeting of the Vermilion Township trustees, Vermilion Township Fire Chief Frank Triana started a dialogue on the purchase of a new fire truck estimated to cost a total of $609,934. It would be a dual-purpose truck. The truck would basically be two trucks in one.
Chief Triana said he has been working with Finley Fire Equipment to spec out a NFPA compliant pumper/tanker. He reminded the trustees of what he had stated in his 2017 end-of-year report as far as the need for equipment to be updated and replaced due to age, mileage, and a change in their response thought process driving them to look at getting the best resources available to a Vermilion Township Fire Department scene. “Upgrading older equipment to new multi-purpose apparatus will also aid in our goal to drive down the Insurance Service Office rating, providing better insurance rates for residents,” said the chief. He commented their last Insurance Service Office report was successful, but they have room for improvement.
The chief said he asked Finley for a quote for a dual-purpose truck to assist in reaching the department’s goals. He said a Pierce Pumper/Tanker – Enforcer Chassis, side mount-1,500 GPM pump with 2,500 gallon poly water tank, ladder, portable pond, hand lights and hard suction should be included. He said the state bid cost is $629,253. Pierce/Finley pre-pay discount if paid 30 days after signing would be $23,618.95 for a cost to the township of $605,634. A performance bond and state bid fee would be added at signing and would be about $4,300 additional. The truck specs and drawings are in the fire chief’s office for the trustees to review.
Triana stated that the truck is two trucks in one. Coupled with the tanker, the first two trucks on scene will have a total of 5,500 gallons of water or a 20-minute supply at 250 gpm. The cost of the truck would be roughly at $121.98 per resident and/or $4.88 over 25 years which is the life of the truck. He suggested regarding payment of the truck would be to pay half down from the fire budget and finance the balance either through the tax-exempt lease purchase program at PNC Finance, and/or a local institution for either 5, 7, or 10 years. The chief asked that the board of trustees consider this purchase. He was not looking for action on this matter that night. He added that he is still in the process of looking at obtaining local financing figures.
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