The city of McMinnville Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved a purchase of a new firetruck during its meeting Tuesday night.
In December of last year after the resolution failed by a 4-3 vote, Emily Barnes, Bailey Rose, Carly Ratley and Jenny Norrod - all firefighters’ wives - appealed to the board. Barnes pointed out at the time that the Fire Department had been petitioning the city for new equipment going on nine months.
She also pointed out that McMinnville’s equipment was behind industry standards. Fire trucks are to be moved from front-line to reserve after 15 years and fully retired at 25, but many fire engines in the city are not currently compliant. A compromise was sought, seeking to replace engine eight, a 29-year-old front-line engine to be moved to reserve to allow for three front-line engines that actually meet industry standards.
Engine seven was to be retired in 2014 and engine eight was to be moved to reserve in 2008 and retired completely in 2018. The last major upgrade to the city’s Fire Department was when ladder two was upgraded in 2016 after a request was entered the year before. The new engine will be a Saber from Pierce. The Sabre has “exceptional visibility.” The Pierce Saber is an updated version of the most popular custom chassis of all time in the “standard custom chassis category” according to Fire Apparatus Magazine and is considered a good value for the price range.
The Saber has increased visibility and safety improvements such as seat belts, more room for more equipment and firefighters, overturn protection via a roll bar, bigger brakes for improved maneuverability and air conditioning. Of course, it will make for more comfortable riding in the summer, but is also important for National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards which require equipment to ensure firefighters stay hydrated and maintain a 98.6 F core temperature to prevent heat exhaustion.
An initial plan to make the purchase more affordable would have involved paying up front or upon delivery for a discount. Finance director for the city of McMinnville, Samantha Moore, suggested at this week’s board meeting that a better option might be to open up a CD Loan at First National Bank. Depositing $715,000 for 18 months would return $760,000 which should cover the cost of the fire truck. The $45,000 in earned interest would be greater than the $20,000 cash payment discount.
As of now, the plans for purchasing the truck are underway and Fire Chief Kendall Mayfield says the truck should be delivered within 20 to 22 months. When asked if there was any way to salvage anything out of the antiquated engine that will be replaced, Mayfield offered a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that apart from scrapping it for pennies on the dollar perhaps someone might want to “put a flatbed on it and haul things out in the field.”
The night of the meeting, in response to attendees mentioning how long the discussion of this issue had gone on, Mayfield simply responded “I don’t ask for what we don’t need.”
