REEDLEY – Reedley’s newest vehicle replacement has rescued the city’s fire department from putting any more stress on emergency response times.
On March 24, the Reedley City Council approved an emergency purchase for a new Rosenbauer Type 6 rescue squad vehicle. The purchase will be made to replace the fire department’s current 2009 Ford F550, which recently had a “catastrophic engine failure” as a result of cracked cylinder heads and overheating.
“Currently, the vehicle is 17 years old, it’s on its second motor and it’s been a costly maintenance project to kind of keep up with that,” said Fire Chief Michael Canales to the council.
The replacement vehicle will be a 2022 model with a brand new chassis, equipped with a 400-gallon water tank as opposed to the current vehicle’s 300 gallons. It also comes with a 10-gallon foam tank, and is said to be more user-friendly for fire personnel.
The new vehicle will cost $374,772 to purchase, and $10,000 to upfit. Canales told the council that this emergency purchase would be funded by around $225,000 of fire facilities development impact fees funds, around $100,000 of public safety sales tax funds and around $60,000 from the general fund.
According to Canales, this is a “really good deal,” since units of this size typically cost around $450,000 to $500,000
City Manager Nicole Zieba noted that the city recently requested an earmark from the state for next year’s budget, anticipating a future need to replace the rescue squad vehicle. Since that need has arisen sooner than expected, the department has chosen the route of an emergency purchase rather than going through the bids process.
A big reason for this is the frequency in which the vehicle is used, with the staff report stating that it responds to approximately 75%-80% of all service calls. With the rescue squad vehicle now out of commission, the department has had to use its fire engine, putting additional wear and tear on a more expensive vehicle that not all fire personnel are authorized to use.
“Not all of our firefighters who show up can drive that million-dollar piece of equipment, which means we have to make sure we get certain volunteers coming to calls right now, because we don’t have the rescue squad in service,” said Zieba to the council. “It’s very concerning. Plus, it’s a very expensive piece of equipment to take out for every single call.”
The benefit of having already applied for the earmark is that, if approved, the funds will replenish what will be taken out for this emergency purchase. Zieba told the council that the city should know by September whether or not it’s been granted the earmark.
During the discussion, Mayor Matthew Tuttle asked what would happen to the old rescue squad vehicle, to which Canales said he hopes to one day replace its chassis when the department rebuilds its funds, eventually having two response vehicles available for use.
With all of this information in mind, the council voted 4-0 to approve the purchase, with Mayor Pro Tem Mary Fast being absent.
According to Canales, the vehicle should arrive within 210 days of being ordered.
