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The Municipality of Greenstone is making historic investments into its Fire Department. During meetings in October and November, Council received reports detailing the outcomes of two tenders the Fire Department had issued, totaling over $2.5 million. This procurement process was undertaken as a result of recommendations from the Fire Master Plan and a service delivery review which together proposed a shift in when and how these purchases are made.
“These awards really showcase the willingness and commitment of Council to public safety and service reliability for the residents and visitors of Greenstone. Knowing that these vehicles will be seeing service for a number of decades, it was really import that we got this right. The aim was to begin standardizing our fleet so we could plan for keeping these vehicles operational long-term. Historically, the service had purchased used units which couldn’t really be modified, and presented challenges in terms of consistency, having to service different makes and models, coupled with their age and condition at the time they were put into service here locally” says Greenstone’s Fire Chief Adam Lopatka.
The review noted that vehicles are seeing an above average inflationary factor, and that locking in pricing sooner using a combination of capital funding and financing would result in the best long-term scenario. Lopatka added “We needed to ensure that the model was sustainable long-term and achievable while respecting what we are asking of the residents of Greenstone.”
Numerous industry and insurance best practices suggest a 20-year maximum front-line service life for an area such as Greenstone. “All pumpers in the fleet will have reached the 20-year mark in 2028” the review highlights; a look at the current fleet list shows most are much sooner than that.
A survey conducted as part of that review process showed that 70% of residents would prefer to see new equipment purchased to avoid service disruptions and reduce overall repair costs, and 61% opposed accepting any risk of service disruptions from having to maintain ageing equipment.
“We asked him to do it, and he’s going to do it!” said Mayor Jamie McPherson of the Fire Chief, adding “We are happy to see that we can maintain critical services for our residents while giving our firefighters the best tools to continue their work in a fiscally responsible way.”
To learn more about the truck purchases please click on the reports blow.
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