Ruston Fire Department

There was an interesting exchange at the Feb. 4th council meeting. Fire Chief Torbet requested permission to pursue purchasing a new engine after locating a couple of good deals and Council Member Stebner responded with a list of requirements. A Public Disclosure Request verified the exchange:

Dear Mayor Transue,

As instructed, I took the La France reserve fire engine to a repair shop for an estimate. While on the freeway, the steering felt very loose and the apparatus "wandered." When I arrived at the repair shop I asked if they could look at that also.

Attached is the repair estimate. As indicated, the equipment is very old and finding repair parts is in question. About 8 years ago a steering part failed and it was necessary to have one hand made at a shop due the part being un-available from the equipment manufacture.

It is time to upgrade to a more suitable piece of equipment. As much as I would like a shiny new engine, I don't think the town is in a financial position to invest the amount of money required to make this kind of purchase. I do not have new numbers but in speaking with other departments, the dollar amount seems to begin around $250,000 for an engine with out any equipment; ladders, hose, nozzles, siren and such. For a telesquirt you can add a minimum of $150,000 for a total of around $400,000.

I believe we should look at finding a used, preferably refurbished, apparatus. The size of the equipment is also a major consideration. Space is very limited at Town Hall. Much of the newer equipment is of larger dimensions and building modification may be necessary. If the town were to make a capitol investment in this area, it would delay a large expenditure for several years while adequately looking after the needs of the Town's fire protection. In three to five years, we could re-evaluate the protection needs and funding resources while still having an asset worth most of the initial investment.

It is my opinion the next fire apparatus purchased for the Town of Ruston should be a telesquirt with a reach of 75 feet. This equipment would become our "first out" engine. Our present 1962 Mack engine would become our reserve and the La France engine would be sold.

During the last 6 months I have been searching the internet for used fire engines. There are many companies dealing in this equipment. The parameters I used were cost, equipment capabilities and condition, equipment size and finally location. The criteria was in no particular order as each was almost as important as the other. There is truly a vast amount of used equipment available. Finding something that fit our needs and our limited space however, proved a challenge. As stated earlier, our recent growth and development narrowed my query to a telesquirt with either 65 or 75 feet of reach. The physical size of the equipment created further limitations. The front engine bay inside depth is 30 feet 8 inches. The door opening height is 10 feet. I have not found a telesquirt that would fit within this space.

I would like to tell you what I have found. First I will state the positive aspects followed by the challenges that will need to be overcome.

Here a link to a page detailing what I am trying to explain.
http://www.firetec.com/detail/LP-8498.html


This is a 1981 American LaFrance Water Chief. It is a 75 foot telesquirt. It was refurbished in 2001 when among other things the top two sections of the ladder were replaced and the pump was rebuilt, increasing its capacity to 1750 GPM (gallons per minute) from the standard 1500 GPM. (As a side note Ruston's La France has a 1000 GPM pump.) Many of the body panels were replaced. New brakes to include shoes, drums and air canisters were installed. In addition, all chassis springs were replaced. The refurbished costs were over $112,000.

Two years ago the fuel pump and fuel system were overhauled. Last year the motor was tuned to include all new injectors. I asked if this was due to a problem or breakdown and told it was part of their maintenance program. One tire is about 40% of new the rest are over 70%. This information was given by the repair facility used by the department. The facility rated the overall condition of the vehicle as excellent. The only known deficiency was a bit of rust to the passenger doors.

Challenges:
The engine is 6 inches too tall and 20 inches too long to fit in the front engine bay. The rear bay next to the garbage truck, while tall enough to accommodate the height, is over three feet too short. Throughout my search, I was unable to find any telesquirt over 50 feet that would fit inside any of our buildings. Asst. Fire Chief Bruce Allen was in the building trades until retirement. We have surveyed the front engine bay and feel it is possible to modify the building to accommodate the telesquirt outlined. Of course an engineer would have to be called in to make a judgment as to this.

This engine located in Dickson City PA, is about as far away from Ruston as it could possibly be; about 2800 miles according to mapquest. This may be the biggest challenge. I contacted a rail shipping company and received a quote of $6800. I do have people willing to drive it back but the cost will still be around $3,500. I wish there was something closer but in all my research, there has been nothing that meets our criteria.

The price listed in the advertisement is $60,000. From the research I have done this would seem a fair price for the equipment in its condition. I have contacted the department that owns the engine and was given a price quote of $47,000 as their bottom price. I believe this is a very good value for this piece of equipment.

As I continued to search for suitable fire equipment I recently came across another engine of interest. I have included a link below.
http://www.faa.911net.net/engine2.htm

This is a 1993 Simon-Duplex-Saulsbury and would be an excellent buy at $27,000. Typically, this engine would sell for at least twice that amount. It would serve our immediate needs with the exception of a ladder unit (telesquirt). As I stated earlier, I believe a telesquirt or quint should be considered for our future needs. The need for a telesquirt type of ladder equipment is not immediate but as the town continues to expand to the building heights proposed it will become necessary to address this need. The engine listed below would fit in height but is one foot to long too fit in the front engine bay. The lengthening of the engine bay would not require extensive work or funding.

The engine was repossessed from a rural department in Tennessee and is now located in Georgia. I received a shipping cost quote Feb 1, of $5200 from the Atlanta area to Ruston from a local trucking company. I spoke to the Fire Chief of the department in Tennessee that last had the unit. He told me the engine was repossessed due to bad money management of the former chief. All required maintenance had been performed and said he knows of no problems with the apparatus. He also said they had removed most of the equipment before it was taken away. With the FEMA grant we were awarded in February 2007, we have recently purchased most of the required equipment. The remaining necessary items could be transferred from the La France to make the engine immediately operational.

There is a lot to consider and hopefully discuss. Before I proceed further I would like some guidance from the council for the future needs of the Ruston Fire Department. To move forward, the next step would be to have a building engineer give us their opinion as to the structural changes necessary.

I have additional photos and specifications and would like to further discuss the matter.

Don Torbet
Fire Chief







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Town of Ruston Fire Department Plan and Budget

1. Develop an annual budget for the Ruston Fire Department for the next 10 years period; project the budget in the following increments: Immediate needs, 5 year needs, 10 year needs. Include cost estimates for providing increased services as Ruston’s population grows.
a. Budgets should include the following information:
i. Current Equipment: An inventory of current equipment plus the age of current equipment.
ii. Anticipated Equipment: A list of anticipated equipment, supplies and property needed for the next 10 years for the Ruston Fire Department. This should include cost estimates and life expectancy of the equipment, supplies and property.
iii. Personnel: A list of anticipated full and part time personnel needs, with basic job descriptions of each position.
1. Include estimates of initial training and equipment associated with each position, current and projected.
2. What is the turnover rate currently on each position in the Fire Department? Include this factor when estimated training and equipment costs for fire department staff.
2. Contract Support: Prepare a “cost” estimate to be expended on contract support (such as maintenance, training, services, etc.). List each item. If there is not cost for a service please note beside service.
3. The Washington Survey and Ratings Bureau’s have an important guideline applicable to our population growth. If we want to keep our current insurance rating as Ruston grows during the next 5 to 10 years, we will need to have a ladder truck for our Fire Department. Will they allow us to service the community with non-ladder trucks? The Fire Department need to provide the Council with a plan, supported by documentation, to satisfy this guideline and the documentation should include a letter from Washington Survey and Rating Bureau accepting Ruston’s plan to satisfy this guideline.
4. Provide a list of other Pierce County Fire Departments that have similar size budgets for their Fire Departments.

Please have this information to the council within 30 days. Following review of the above information, when submitted, the Town Council will discuss expenditures for the fire department. Note, if a pre-owned fire truck is purchased the Council would require a pre-purchase inspection done. It is essential that the Fire Department and Town ensure that all fire equipment operates to standards, and that all standard certification and all governing bodies’ requirements for the Ruston Fire Departments equipment are satisfied.

Note, per the Town of Ruston Fire Committee Report, the current fire department is adequate for the next two years. We realize that we cannot wait for 24 months to gather this information. Now is the time to start.
From Council Member Stebner