NORTH SMITHFIELD – North Smithfield Fire & Rescue Service is on track to replace an aging rescue vehicle with a new truck, but Chief David Chartier said the final cost and timeline for delivery remain unclear.
Chartier requested approval from the Town Council for the purchase of a new rescue Monday night from vendor Specialty Vehicles Inc. for $449,822. The vehicle will replace a Ford F-550 Life Line purchased in 2018.
“We have worked closely with our vendor on specifications to meet the department’s needs,” notes a memo on the planned expense.
“This is in line with our vehicle replacement schedule, but we’re going to kind of be thrown off of that schedule because just the manufacturing timeline for this truck is two to two and a half years,” said Chartier. “That’s one of the reasons we wanted to try to get approval as soon as possible – that and potential impending tariffs and whatnot.”
The chief said there are contingencies built into the pricing as the vendor was unable to pinpoint an exact cost with the current wait time for parts.
“Manufacturing prices could change, so it’s a little bit of a moving target,” he said.
The truck will utilize funds in a capital account taken in through the fire department’s third party billing. Finance Director Antony St. Onge noted the council has set aside money every year, and the account currently has $600,000.
The system of utilizing funds taken in by the fire and rescue service to replace equipment according to a planned schedule has worked successfully for years, but Town Manager Scott Gibbs noted that its days may be numbered. An engine will also need replacement in the “not too distant” future, Gibbs said. Currently, Chartier said the cost of such an engine is $1 million – and expected to climb.
“Obviously, the cost of this equipment becomes staggering,” said Gibbs. “We have to start thinking now about how we’re going to anticipate that, because costs are not going to come down.”
The administrator said he is working with the Asset Management Committee on projections, which he plans to present to the council before upcoming budget deliberations.
“I think what we’re going to find based on the anticipated life cycles of this piece of equipment – the current approach of our third party billing between the town and the fire department – it’s not going to work,” said Gibbs. “We’re going to run out of money.”
Chartier said he plans to come back before the council for approval of $42,000 in equipment related to the purchase, including a two-way radio and a stretcher. He said he considered purchasing the equipment now, but is concerned the warranties could expire by the time the truck actually arrived. The old rescue, he said, will be kept as a spare, while the current spare is traded in for $10,000.
“It will be a good spare vehicle for us should something break down,” Chartier said.
He added that the department is still generating money for the upcoming expenses, saying of the costs, “Hopefully, it goes down.”
A million for an engine…..IDK …..looking them up sure seems a bit less…..a whole lot less.
Have you contacted a fire truck manufacturer to get the final price on one?
DT….YOU, the taxpayer, that’s where.
Just had a reval. Once all the appeals are done, the tax rate hammered out, one should see some good tax increase perhaps.
So where is this money to fund this purchase coming from. Along with the police station oversight, community center upfront money and operating costs, and all the school requests. I guess it is not time for a tif to add water and sewer. But this is what the town gets without a 10 year capital plan and ranking of projects. Just keep approving one offs and raising taxes. Sounds like the playbook of the last 3 administrations just raise taxes with no plan.