Friday, April 4, 2008
Lt. Dave Sherman described Station 1’s new fire truck as if it were the best present he ever unwrapped on his birthday.
Station 1 was the first and only fire station in Lawrence to receive a new fire truck last year, a Quint model, because of the City of Lawrence’s new fire apparatus replacement program. The program intends to replace all of Lawrence’s aging fire trucks with newer, safer models.
Fire trucks serve an important purpose in Lawrence.
Sherman said it was important to replace the trucks and take advantage of the new safety additions they offered.
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Administrative chief Bill Stark is heading up the fire apparatus replacement program for the fire department.
Administrative chief Bill Stark is heading up the fire apparatus replacement program for the fire department.
Stark said Lawrence’s fire trucks were becoming outdated and the city needed to replace them within the next few years. All of Lawrence’s fire trucks were put through a ratings test to see if they qualified for replacement, and all of them did.
The money for the new trucks will come from the City of Lawrence. A new fire truck, depending on the type, can cost between $600,000 and $1 million, Stark said.
Assistant city manager Cynthia Boecker said the city saw the need to replace the trucks, but the program would not replace all of them immediately.
“We have to look into various funds to find the money to replace the trucks,” Boecker said. “We are looking to replace two fire trucks for the department this year, and we are looking into the equipment reserve fund or possibly Lawrence’s general fund for the money.”
The fire apparatus replacement program most likely will not cause an increase in taxes for citizens of Lawrence or effect other departments funding this year, Boecker said. Buying new trucks may be a better way to spend the city’s money.
The old trucks are in need of repair and the cost of maintenance may actually be causing the city to spend more.
“They break down and then when you need parts, they are expensive and hard to get,” Stark said. “It isn’t like taking your Ford into the shop. These trucks have special parts and a lot of times we have to have them special ordered and made somewhere else.”
Newer fire trucks come with safety equipment for both the firefighters and citizens of Lawrence. Sherman said that, like cars, fire trucks had safety upgrade requirements and additions made to new models.
Lawrence’s old fire trucks do not have the newer safety systems. Station 1’s new truck has safety additions. Sherman said the new equipment was necessary and appreciated. “Our new truck has a foam system built into it so we can deliver fire fighting-foam, spraying it directly from the truck without having to mix it separately,” Sherman said. “It also has side-curtain airbags for the passengers and better restraint systems for our air packs.”
The new truck also protects the public, Sherman said whereas old trucks had equipment that sat directly on the apparatus without being tied down, the new trucks had straps that held the equipment so that nothing flew off while the firefighters were driving to an emergency. Lawrence fire chief Mark Bradford confirmed that the fire apparatus replacement program was an important issue for the Lawrence Fire Department.
Both the City of Lawrence and the fire department are looking into the issue of replacing aging fire trucks as the budget allows. But, the city cannot specifically set a date as to when all of the trucks will be replaced.
— Edited by Daniel Reyes
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