Plum VFD plans to replace aging rescue truck, needs borough funds
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Officials at Unity Volunteer Fire Department in Plum need borough funding to replace an aging rescue truck.
The current vehicle is 21 years old with a rusting frame and is expected to be put out of service within the year.
“It is not structurally acceptable to give to somebody else or trade in to use,” fire Chief PJ Mudar said.
The plan is to purchase a new rescue truck from Pierce Manufacturing for an estimated $750,000 with $510,000 of that coming from borough coffers.
The rest would come from a $200,000, 20-year, low-interest state loan and fundraising.
Council tabled action on Unity’s request at its March meeting. It could be voted on at the April 12 meeting.
“We’re just trying to get some answers for things before we make a decision on that,” said Paul Dern, councilman and public safety chairman. “They definitely need a new truck.”
Dern said there is about $435,000 in the borough’s fire fund, part of the general fund set aside for fire truck and equipment purchases.
Additional information being sought by borough officials includes the funding plan for the truck, the department’s call volume and an estimate of how many calls require use of the rescue truck.
“We’re also looking at what’s going on across the rest of the fire departments to get a better understanding of how we can best use taxpayer dollars,” council President Dave Odom said. “We are going to be talking about that.”
Fire department president Ira Helfer said time is of the essence because Pierce is holding a truck for them until May 15.
He said the company had a few trucks that were expected to be shipped overseas, but never went out. One of them is a rescue truck a little more than 40 feet long that, with a few modifications, would fit the department’s needs.
“We want to provide the best possible service to the community,” Mudar said. “No matter when they call 911, we want to be able to handle the situation as quickly as possible. We feel with this we can cut some of that time off if they need us.”
The new rescue truck would have a mobile air compressor, which would help power some tools and be used to replenish firefighters’ breathing apparatuses. Unity uses compressors from other departments to fill its cylinders.
It also could hold other specialized equipment and struts used to stabilize large vehicles at crash sites and homes damaged by trees or other means, Mudar said.
The department looked into customizing a new rescue truck at about $1 million. It would not be ready for at least 18 months and would cost more than the current deal.
Should council approve the funding, the Pierce truck could be acquired and put in service shortly before Thanksgiving.
“We’d get the truck in a third of the time,” Mudar said. “We’re saving a quarter of the cost. It meets our needs. It meets the growing needs of the borough. It was kind of a win-win for everybody.”
Unity has 27 active firefighters and five trucks, including a ladder truck, an SUV and two pumpers.
The department responded to 680 calls last year and 115 calls so far this year.
Helfer said he is confident the borough will lend a hand based on previous purchases.
Unity bought a 2005 ladder truck at $750,000 with $500,000 from the borough, and a 2015 pumper at about $535,000 with $435,000 from the borough.
“I’m hoping they fund it,” Helfer said.
The latest council could take action and meet the current purchasing deadline would be its May 10 meeting.