News: Fremont Fire buying new fire engines

Purchases nearly complete replacement program for vehicles

FREMONT — City officials have agreed to spend more than $5 million to replace nearly one-third of Fremont's firefighting vehicles within the next year.

The City Council has approved purchasing seven new fire engines, a ladder truck and a wildland engine for about $5.4 million.

When the vehicles are put into service within the next year, all of the department's 16 fire engines, three ladder trucks and five wildland engines will have been purchased within the past decade, Deputy Fire Chief Geoff La Tendresse said.

The outgoing engines, purchased in 1990, had been in service three years beyond their recommended service life of 15 years, La Tendresse said. Although they never broke down on the way to a fire, the engines did require slightly more repair time than newer engines.

The new engines will have the same capacity as their predecessors, La Tendresse said.

The new ladder truck, like the city's other two, will be reaching heights of 110 feet — the equivalent of a seven-story building. Fremont's tallest building, the Fremont Marriott is about 12 stories tall, La Tendresse said.

Purchasing the trucks nearly completes Fremont's fire apparatus replacement plan that was approved in 2000. Only one additional wildland engine — an all-terrain,

4-wheel-drive version of a standard engine — must now be replaced, La Tendresse said.

Replacement of the engines stalled from 2001-2003 due to a city budget shortfall. The city's finances are expected to dip into the red in upcoming years, but the City Council last week approved the purchases unanimously.

"We haven't got the most (firefighters) in the world, so we need to have the best equipment," Mayor Bob Wasserman said.

The city is financing the $5.4 million purchase by issuing certificates of participation, which function similarly to tax-exempt bonds. Payments on the debt usually are made from the city's general fund, according to a city report.

As for the outgoing engines and truck, La Tendresse said the city usually sells them, typically to a community that can't afford new firefighting vehicles.

Source: Inside Bay area - Link