A new firetruck could soon be housed at the Bracebridge Fire Department.
The town’s General Committee gave its stamp of approval on Dec. 6 to purchase a 2,500 imperial gallon (IG) Fire Tanker Truck on Tuesday. In a report, done by Murray Medley, Fire Chief for the Bracebridge Fire Department, and Kim Ball, Administrative Coordinator, they estimate it will cost close to $600,000. It would replace a 16-year-old tanker at the department’s station two at 3448 Hwy. 118 E.
Bracebridge council gave its approval on Dec. 14. The report estimates it will take around a year and a half for the new truck to be delivered.
As part of the department’s vehicle maintenance and replacement program, the front-line pumpers, tankers, and utility trucks need to be replaced every 15 years. The truck the new one is replacing was built in 2006. It’s the second oldest of the seven vehicles in the department’s active fleet. The oldest was built in 1999 that’s, according to the report, used as a reserve tanker.
Medley explained to committee the new truck would be kept at station one at 225 Taylor Rd. “It’s going to get a lot more use at this station than it would at station two,” he said.
In the report, it’s recommended to award the bid to Metalfab Ltd., a fire truck manufacturer based in Centreville, NB. Four of the fire department’s seven trucks were designed by Metalfab.
“The recommended unit’s design allows it to fill a number of different roles in the department’s fleet, from transporting water to rural areas that are not serviced by municipal hydrants for structure and wildland fires to working as a backup pumper in urban areas of the town,” it says in the report. “It will also be utilized to provide fire protection and act as a blocker vehicle while crews are working at traffic accidents on area highways.”
The new truck’s 2,500 IG capacity is 1,000 IG more than the one it’s replacing.
Medley told committee the truck it’s replacing will be “disposed of.” He estimated the old machine is worth around $25,000.