Central Huron Council moves ahead with purchase of new fire truck

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

Central Huron Council is moving ahead with the purchase of a new pumper fire truck for the municipality’s fire department after turning down the purchase of the same truck just six months earlier.

 

Fire Chief Jeff Lipskie spoke to council at its Monday night meeting, presenting a report entitled “Equipment Concerns” that detailed even further disrepair on one of the department’s current pumper trucks, which had already been marked for replacement with Lipskie citing “significant safety concerns” with the vehicle. However, when Lipskie presented an option for a new truck in November of last year, council turned it down.

 

Issues with the 27-year-old truck include five leaking valves, failed pump packing, the pump gear oil having not been changed, resulting in wear on the pump, and the gear oil reservoir taking on water. These were presented to council in November, however, a month ago, the baffle inside the truck’s water tank broke. “This matter represents the highest expense and is of utmost concern for firefighter safety,” Lipskie said in his report.

 

In his report, Lipskie detailed the work of a baffle, how it’s broken and his concerns as a result.

 

“A baffle is a means of preventing the surge or sloshing of water in a tank when moving. In a fire truck’s tank, a liquid surge occurs when the quick acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle causes the water to move around rapidly inside the tank. This can lead to splashing, spilling and loss of control over the liquid being carried,” Lipskie said in his report to council. “In addition to potentially wasting precious resources, it can also cause damage to both the tank and the truck itself. But what’s most concerning for those inside the vehicle is the risk of loss of control. When the water moves in this way, weight distribution within the fire trucks can change within a split-second. Now factor in a sharp corner or needing to hit the brakes, and you can quickly see how liquid surge can be extremely dangerous.

 

“Pumper 8-2’s baffle has broken with the piece lodged inside. The piece has the potential to block the ‘tank to pump’ discharge, preventing the availability of the emergency water source. This water is crucial for the protection and safety of our firefighters in rescue situations. 

 

“This potential occurred during our pumper operations training in March. Fortunately, this issue was identified during a low-risk training evolution versus a high-risk emergency response.”

 

He added that the manufacturer of the truck and the fibreglass tank are no longer in operation and, as a 27-year-old vehicle, a warranty is no longer an option. 

 

“Furthermore, the service technician stated that the pump pressures barely passed. Their expectations from experience stated that the department should expect a pump failure test next spring. If this occurs, this would result in a complete pump rebuild with an estimated cost between $20,000 and $30,000,” Lipskie said in his report. “With the identified safety concerns, staff have no other option but to limit the use of the vehicle to non-emergency response.”

 

He added that to replace the water tank would likely cost between $80,000 and $100,000 and take the truck out of service for between 12 and 14 weeks.

 

Lipskie recommended the purchase of a new truck, as he had proposed last November, noting that, with current delivery timelines, the truck could be expected in Central Huron in late 2025 or early 2026.

 

Councillor Michael Russo kicked off the conversation, saying that the municipality doesn’t need a swimming pool, but it does need effective and operational fire safety equipment, referencing a presentation from earlier in the meeting stating that a new swimming pool in Clinton would cost the municipality in excess of $5 million.

 

While council was reluctant to spend the money, several members acknowledged the urgency of the matter and the fact that the municipality would have another year, maybe two, to save for the purchase, if the truck was not going to be delivered until 2025 or 2026. This also came after discussion about purchasing a used truck or repairing the current truck, neither of which was overly appealing to Lipskie, he said. 

 

In his report, Lipskie estimated the cost to replace the truck at $750,000. Councillor Alison Lobb was concerned about costs running over budget, but Lipskie said he would do everything in his power to keep the truck under $800,000, even if he had to remove features.

 

Council passed a motion to buy the truck, adding a provision that will allow Lipskie to sole source the truck based on the tender accepted in November, which was from Fort Garry Fire Trucks for the cost of $733,789 plus HST.