Freeport Volunteer Fire Department to get new firetruck financed by borough
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Freeport officials have agreed to finance a new firetruck for the volunteer fire department.
Council voted unanimously to approve a 10-year, $250,000 loan through Volunteer’s Financial Services (VFS) at a 3.35% fixed rate.
Those funds, plus $300,000 in capital projects money, will be used to cover the cost of a new truck from Wisconsin-based Pierce Manufacturing.
VFS was founded in 1987 by a volunteer firefighter and specializes in financing apparatuses and firehouse construction.
Councilman Josh James, a borough firefighter, did not have to recuse himself from the vote, according to borough Solicitor Matthew Kalina. Council members Mary Bowlin and Justin DeAngelis resigned before this month’s meeting.
Annual loan payments are listed at about $29,000 and would be covered by the $30,000 yearly contribution the borough gives to the fire department.
The new custom model will replace an aging truck. The volunteer fire department’s 1987 Mack Grumman fire engine failed a pump test this year.
That, combined with other factors, such as rust in several spots, has pushed it past the standards of in-service emergency apparatus vehicles under the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Fire Marshal Michael Greiser said, and it must be retired.
The purchase of a new fire engine will help the department meet NFPA standard compliance, which will be achieved by increasing the staffing, personnel, equipment and water/pump capacity.
It also will help to increase its rating with the Insurance Services Office (ISO). ISO is an advisory and rating organization for the property/casualty insurance industry.
Greiser is handling the paperwork for the purchase on behalf of the borough.
“We have reached out to the manufacturer, submitting the signed version of the purchase agreement last evening,” he said. “We are working on the paperwork to finalize the loan as the last part of the process in the purchase.”
Greiser said the firetruck committee will meet one more time before production to finalize a set of specifications for the truck.
The truck is still in the design phase.
It is not expected to be received by the borough for at least 15 months.
Proposed specifications include a tank of at least 750 gallons and a pump that can handle 2,000 gallons per minute. The truck will have a remote-controlled deluge gun, a low rear hose bed, a 360-degree camera system and 360-degree, reflective striping and LED lighting.
Ladders and other equipment would be stored inside the truck instead of on its sides.
Council President Clint Warnick said the cost of the firetruck was projected to increase by about $40,000 next year, so it was best to approve the purchase this month.
“We’ve been working with the fire department on this between six and eight months since we first started discussions,” Warnick said. “The borough is obligated to provide safety for the community. In doing this, we’ve achieved that.”
James said the new truck will be a boost to the department as well as the borough.
“It’s good news,” he said. “The fire department has a 34-year-old engine that’s served the borough very well for years. However, it has its problems. Purchasing this new engine brings the fire department into the most top-of-the-line and modern technology and engineering available, and a long-lasting service and warranty to bolster the longevity of this engine in the borough.
“The purchasing of this engine will also raise the borough ISO (fire insurance) rating. As a resident of the borough, that’s good news for everyone.”