By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
NORTHFIELD — The Northfield Fire Department approached City Council on June 15, seeking funds for a new ladder truck.
Councilman Dave Notaro, who oversees the department, said the issue came up after the budget was finalized so now is the time to think about funding the purchase in the next budget.
“It’s something they think they need and they want to know how to proceed,” Notaro said.
Mayor Erland Chau, who has been a volunteer first-responder for decades, said it can take a year or longer to come up with specifications for a firetruck. He said the department’s current ladder truck is unreliable and that the city cannot depend on equipment coming from another town to do the job.
Notaro agreed, saying “it’s best to have our own equipment, especially with pubic safety.”
Councilwoman Barbara Madden added that the ladder truck has been problematic and the city needs one the department can rely on when called to duty.
“Our role is to provide public safety,” Madden said.
Chau said each piece of equipment is designed for a specific use, noting the city has a pumper in good working order.
“This is a big investment,” Chau said, noting it would have a 20- to 25-year lifespan.
Eric Shenkus, assistance chief of the fire department, said the aerial section of the current ladder truck was bought in 1979 and remounted onto a newer chassis in 1999, making for a 22-year-old chassis and a 42-year-old ladder assembly.
Councilman Brian Smith asked about the viability of purchasing a used truck and whether the city could buy something less than the $950,000 to $1.2 million estimate for a new vehicle.
Shenkus said there is a used market but explained that the department is on a 7-year purchase cycle. The last truck was bought in 2014 and the one before that in 2007. With four total vehicles, the city is getting 28 years out of each. He said there are plenty of used trucks in the 20-year-old range, but buying that would put the department back in the same position seven years from now, when another truck would also need to be replaced.
“Let’s say we buy something 20 years old and get eight years out of it. We then would replace that three or four times in a lifecycle. When we do the math, it just doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Shenkus said the overall lifecycle savings is not realized if they have to return to the city in eight years for another truck.
Notaro noted that used trucks likely have problems or have been used a lot.
“Cities don’t buy firetrucks because they are tired of them,” he said. “They’re typically no longer any good.”
Madden said purchasing a used truck is risky, noting the city has a “Frankenstein truck” right now. She also said used vehicles have old technology that may not work as effectively as desired.
Shenkus agreed, saying he is concerned for the safety of firefighters and that trucks have changed significantly regarding safety of the staff.
Shenkus said all of the firefighters are taxpayers in the city and understand how purchasing a big-ticket item can affect the budget, but added that 500 homes in the city have roof-mounted solar arrays that hamper firefighting without a ladder truck. He also said it needs to be first on the scene so it can get closest to the burning structure.
Councilman Frank Perri said the proposal has a lot of merit.
“If they are committed to doing the work, we should commit to providing the equipment,” he said.
In a voice vote, council agreed to move forward with buying a new truck.
