New ladder truck for WM Fire Dept.

New ladder truck for WM Fire Dept.

Council fast- tracks purchase of pre- built demonstrator to replace outdated model

news@theeveningtimes.com

City Council approved the purchase of a new ladder truck during the council’s Aug. 18 meeting.

The West Memphis Fire Department had asked the city’s Fire Commission for the new ladder truck during the board’s August meeting. Fire Chief Wayne Gately walked commissioners through a list of problems with the current truck and pointed to a demonstrator model as the best option to replace the ladder truck the department has relied on for 22 years.

With an urgent need and a demonstrator model is available immediately, the WMFD asked the commission to refer a recommendation of buying the truck to the council under an emergency clause. Normally an item before city council is heard, discussed and voted on in three separate meetings before it passes, but an emergency clause allows the item to be read out and voted on three times in one meeting. The city has opted for the emergency clause for equipment before. Most recently, the Municipal Airport asked for a used refueling truck, and the Public Works Commission asked for the allowance for trash truck and mower buys.

“If we do it, we will have to do it under the emergency clause,” said Wayne Gately. “We have a lot of problems with our ladder truck right now.”

The 1994 E-1 Aerial truck has a growing list of repair and replacement challenges. Transmission problems, the need for a water pump rebuild and the upper aerial set of controls on the ladder all need attention.

Maintaining safety standards and a level one ISO rating are important to keep fire insurance rates low for city businesses and homes in the city. West Memphis is one of just 60 cities in the country to achieve the top rating.

Gately emphasized that the ladder truck is still being used but asked for a replacement before it is too late.

“It is still in service right now,” said Gately. “The ladder will pass certification this year, but we can’t get the pump to pass annual certification. There are two main reasons, the pump is worn out and the transmission is worn out.”

With estimates in hand, the chief indicated required repairs were not cost effective and the down time too long.

“It’s $25,000 just to rebuild the pump,” said Gately. “They’d have to pull the fire pump out, truck it to the factory in New Jersey. The pump is no longer manufactured.

They have to custom build the parts to rebuild this. It takes months and the truck will be out of service.”

The quote on the transmission repair was more than $13,000. The air conditioner isn’t working in the cab. The three year old motor leaks oil and needs repaired according to Gately.

The upper aerial controls have quit working,” added Gately. “So we are not sure how bad that is but it has got to be repaired.”

“The truck is 22 years old and it is just worn out,” said Gately. “It is no longer feasible to put more money in this vehicle. It just needs to be replaced.

Oftentimes, emergency vehicles are built-to-order and departments wait for delivery. But the chief said the best option for a new ladder truck is a demo on the market and available immediately.

“There is a demo out there completed in June,” reported Gately. “It’s built by Pierce. It is a 107-foot aerial. It is currently available from Emergency Vehicle Specialists. it will fit into Fire Station One, and will serve the community the next 15 to 20 years.”

The truck features meet the National Fire Protection Association and ISO standards. The truck as a 12.8liter big-block Detroit engine with 500 horsepower.

“It’s a big engine,” said Gately. “That is as 781cubic-foot engine, which is a big engine. It takes that kind of engine to pull this 57,000-pound truck.”

The frame rails on this are 12 inches on the lower chassis, compared to six inches on a pick-up tuck,” said Assistant Chief Jeff Jones. “So it is very heavy duty and has a heavy suspension.”

“It has the big Allison transmission to go with that big-block engine — a really, really strong power train,” said Gately. “I want to get this truck while it is still available.”

The committee recommended the emergency clause recommendation for the full city council and asked the department to work with the mayor for have the price negotiated bid specifications ready for an upcoming meeting.

EVS asked $913,000 for the demonstrator model. An identically equipped truck from the same manufacturer sold to another Arkansas fire department for $50,000 more and came after an eight month waiting period for it to be built.

The city negotiated the price on this unit to $894,000.

Following the approval, Gately thanked the council, who then inquired about the delivery date.

“This could be in service here within a month,” said Gately.

By John Rech