RFD’s 3 new fire engines cost $3.7M

RUSSELLVILLE – The Russellville Fire Department will sell three of its older trucks to make way for three new fire engines.

The total cost for the three new trucks will be $3,739,887.

One of the two Custom Monarch Pumps will cost $753, 310.63 since they city got a $33,265.62 discount for pre-paying. The other pumper will cost $786,576.25. The new ladder truck will cost $2.2 million.

Existing fire engines No. 1 and No. 2 were purchased from Sutphen, according to city records, City Clerk Belinda Miller said.

Engine No. 1 was purchased in 2007 at a cost of $375,000. Engine No. 2 was purchased in 2016 for $239,000.

RFD will also sell its ladder truck, which was purchased in 2004 for $389,265.

Fire Chief Randy Seal said any sales arranged will not allow the buyer to take possession of a vehicle until the fire department receives its replacement.

The engines scheduled to replace Engines No. 1 and No. 2 have been on order for a year and a half. “The reason we ordered them so far in advance is because there’s such a backlog on them being produced,” Seal said. “It’s probably going to be this summer before we even see either one of them.”

Former Fire Chief Joe Mansell both replacement trucks are being built by Sutphen in Dublin, Ohio. He said the trucks could arrive as early as June, or as late as August.

“The current fire engine trucks carry 1,000 gallons of water each,” Mansell said, “but the new fire engines will carry 1,400 gallons of water each.”

Miller explained the loan on Engines No. 1 and No. 2 has been paid off. The final payment was $45,472.44. She said the total amount paid on the loan was $288,810.10.

“In order for us to sell a vehicle, we have to declare it surplus, and that’s done by resolution, and we state how we’re going to sell it,” she continued. “We are going to put them up for bid on GovDeals. Once the trucks are sold, they will not be released to the buyer until we have received our new trucks.”

Seal said the price of the new fire trucks would have been 20% more if the city hadn’t ordered them when it did.

He pointed out the age of the existing trucks was the primary reason the city opted to buy new engines.

“It’s getting to the point where you can’t get parts for anything that’s older now because it’s just not available,” Seal said.

Interestingly, the city will receive its new ladder truck before the other two engines are completed.

“We’re getting the ladder truck before the two engines even though we ordered the engines first,” Seal said. “That’s because we wound up getting lucky because they had a chassis and stuff already available for the ladder to be built on.”

Seal and Mansell are planning to fly out at the end of the month to do a final inspection on the ladder truck. Seal said the city could have it here and in service by March.

Seal said the new ladder truck will have a platform, whereas the current ladder truck doesn’t have a platform.

“It’s a 100-foot. platform,” he said of the new ladder truck. “What we’ve got now is what they call a stick. It’s basically just a ladder and at the end of the ladder is just rungs. The new truck will have a basket at the end of it that will allow for fitting two or three people to be raised up. It will be helpful in a lot of different ways, and it makes rescue and different things a lot safer.

“We’re blessed to have the opportunity to have this new equipment,” Seal said.

Mansell said the platform allows for standing and around 4 to 5 people can fit on it.

“It’s a whole lot safer than the old one, which doesn’t have a platform at all,” he said.

Mansell said the current ladder truck is around 23 to 24 years old, noting the National Fire Protection Association recommends a truck be moved to reserve instead of frontline service after 15 years.

“We are an ALS (Advanced Life Support) department,” Mansell explained. “We have three paramedics, and we run a bunch of calls in the city. Having the equipment the city has purchased for us is definitely going to be an improvement for us.

“We’ve got a great maintenance program, and we try to keep the trucks maintained, but it would be good to move them over to a department that doesn’t run the volume of calls we do.”

“These firemen come in every day and put their lives on the line,” Mansell added. “We’re a small department, and having good quality equipment means a whole bunch. The mayor and council have been great to try to keep us with some of the most state-of-theart equipment they can provide, and we’re very thankful.”