Jefferson Hills firefighters seek financing for new rescue pumper
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Jefferson Hills Fire Rescue and EMS plans to purchase a new fire and rescue pumper.
Chief Brian Chalfant said the new truck will replace an old rescue pumper nearing 20 years of service.
“It’s starting to nickel and dime us (with) maintenance costs,” he said. “We try to replace the trucks every 15 to 20 years to get a higher resale value out of them.”
JHFR spent about six months developing vehicle specifications and committed to Meyersdale-based 4 Guys to lock in an estimated $760,000 purchase price.
Chalfant said the financing will most likely be done in two parts, a $275,000, 2% loan through the state Fire Commissioner’s Office and a 10- to 15-year bond through a bank.
He said they are still shopping for the best interest rates. Annual payments will come from the borough’s fire tax fund, which is reserved for truck purchases and equipment maintenance.
JHFR relies heavily on donations and fundraising for general operations. It gets between $240,000 and $260,000 a year from the fire tax.
Council voted 5-2 April 12 in support of the truck’s financing.
Keith Reynolds and Nicole Ruscitto dissented. Both said they did not receive enough information to support the purchase.
“The financing will certainly be there (and) I’m certainly in favor of moving ahead with this,” Councilman Francis Sockman said.
Chalfant said the truck, even if the financing was finalized this month, would not be ready for action until next April.
“It takes a little over a year to build,” he said. “It’s not going to offer us any more service. We’re just putting a newer version into service. We are looking out for the best interests of the community.”
JHFR is the merged company of Jefferson 885 and Floreffe volunteer fire companies. It has nearly 70 active members and about eight vehicles in its fleet, including a boat for swift water rescue.