The Owen Sound Fire Department is replacing its reserve aerial truck with a refurbished vehicle that cost a fraction of what a new apparatus would.
Council received a report Monday announcing the city as the successful bidder on a used 75-foot aerial truck that was made available through an online auction. The price the city paid for the truck was $100,000 US.
“It’s a rare opportunity where a truck meeting our needs became available on an online auction,” Fire Chief Phil Eagleson said Monday night after council received a report on the purchase. “Council was supportive of it and we took advantage of that option.”
Council received a report about the potential purchase on May 7 at a special meeting that was held in-camera so as not to advertise the opportunity to other potential buyers. The auction closed on May 13 and the city was the top bidder.
“There was some uncertainty whether we would be successful or not,” Eagleson said. “We were bidding against other municipalities right across North America.”
The vehicle will undergo a total factory refurbishment, and along with other taxes and fees, the total cost of the project will not exceed $400,000. With the price tag of a new truck coming in at around $2.6 million, the city is expected to save more than $2 million by going with the refurbished model.
Eagleson said that while the truck will be considered a “reserve” aerial truck for the department, it will see its fair share of use as the department plans to rotate all of its apparatus through frontline service.
“I really didn’t see the expense of another two-and-a-half to three-million-dollar truck,” said Eagleson. “By staggering them, by spreading out the runs on all of our apparatus, I think we can stretch that lifespan.”
The aerial truck was in service in the Dublin, Ohio, area from new and was used up until delivery of their new apparatus last month, Eagleson said in a report to council.
The Sutphen model is a slightly smaller “sistership” to the 100-foot Sutphen Mid-mount Platform aerial truck the Owen Sound department purchased in 2021.
Eagleson said they spoke to the owner of Sutphen Fire Trucks, and the fire chief, deputy chief and mechanical officer at the Washington Township Fire Department in Dublin, Ohio. They reassured city staff the truck was in good condition and only replaced as part of their 15-year apparatus replacement schedule.
“What is unique about this specific truck is it is right at the factory where they are made,” said Eagleson. “We are certain it was highly maintained and they are going to run it back through that factory to check every nut and bolt and make sure it comes back to us in a state that it will give us several years of service.”
Eagleson said the refurbishment will include extensive work, including a full test of the engine, pump replacement, and new tires, interior seats and paint.
“Any of the parts that wear out will be replaced by the factory,” said Eagleson, adding the body of the vehicle is stainless steel, which should give it a long service life.
The refurbished truck will replace the Owen Sound department’s Aerial 4 truck built in 2004 by American Lafrance. As that company has now been out of business for more than 15 years, the truck is not eligible for life extension, and parts are hard to find to maintain or repair it.
The truck, which was scheduled to be replaced this year, is in poor condition and its reliability is questionable, Eagleson’s report said.
The refurbished Sutphen is very similar in capabilities to the American Lafrance it is replacing, but with a slightly larger water pumping capacity, ladder and equipment storage capacity, the report notes.
The American Lafrance will be sold once the refurbished truck is delivered, and is expected to fetch about $40,000. All funds from the sale will go into the fleet reserve.
The Owen Sound Fire Department’s fleet includes the two ladder trucks, along with two pumper trucks and a rescue boat, one of the smallest fleets in the Grey-Bruce area, the report said. The city department doesn’t have tanker trucks, rescue trucks or utility and support vehicles and relies on mutual aid when additional apparatus are needed, the report said.
In his report, Eagleson noted that demand for heavy trucks – including fire trucks – is at an all-time high. That demand has created fire truck delivery backlogs of two to three years, while inflation in the fire truck manufacturing sector has outpaced all other industries, he said.
Aerial trucks that were $1.5 million pre-pandemic are now $2.6 million with an expected delivery date of three years from initial design. The city paid $2.1 million for the 100-foot aerial truck it ordered prior to the pandemic.
A modestly equipped pumper that cost $500,000 before the pandemic is now over $1 million. An electrical version of the same pumper costs $2 million, Eagleson said.
A benefit of having both aerials the same model are that it will reduce future repair costs and long-term maintenance costs as staff are currently certified and trained to work on the make and model.
The refurbished truck will meet the needs of the department for the next 15 years, with an option to extend its service beyond that based on condition, functionality and capacity at that time, the report said.
Eagleson’s report notes that should Aerial 4 not be replaced, the city could have its fire insurance grading revoked for that specific apparatus, which could adversely affect the fire insurance grades in the community.
Owen Sound is currently rated Class 1 under the Fire Underwriters Survey’s Dwelling Protection Guide, representing exemplary fire protection, giving city residents the benefit of the lowest insurance rates for fire protection, the report said.
“Reducing the overall size of the current fleet also does not align with the future vision for the Owen Sound Fire Service,” Eagleson said in the report. “A functional composite service will require adequate vehicles to transport career and volunteer firefighters to emergency scenes and training evolutions.”
Eagleson said they expect to have to refurbished truck in Owen Sound before the end of 2024, a “far cry from three years from now for a brand new build.”
The vehicle purchase and refurbishment will be funded through the fleet reserve, which receives annual contributions from the fire services operating budget, the report said.