Belleville Fire and Emergency Services is getting a refresh to help them better respond to calls in the city.
Belleville council approved the purchase of two new rural fire rescue trucks to replace ones that are both 20-plus years old at the end of their respective life cycles and need extensive repairs.
Fire Chief Dan Smith said the purchase of these two trucks allows for more efficient operations.
“Both trucks are laid out identical which aids in training new staff, ensures the same level of service, aids in muscle memory of where equipment is stored, and will be beneficial with regards to preventative maintenance programs,” he stated in a report to council.
One key point of discussion was that volunteer firefighters presently carry their bunker gear in their personal vehicles.
The new design proposed has space for 23 sets of bunker gear stored inside.
Smith stated that from a health and safety perspective, this is extremely advantageous as it removes opportunity for storing potentially contaminated bunker gear in personal vehicles.
The total cost of both vehicles from Industries Lafleur Inc. is slightly more than $764,500, which staff says is well within the overall capital budget amount.