Bradford is pumping some extra cash into purchasing a new fire truck.
Council approved an additional $40,322 from the Roads and Protection Development Charges on top of the $1.47 million passed in the 2024 budget for a new fire pumper during the regular council meeting on Tuesday evening, May 7.
The decision came in response to a report from Vanessa Morum, manager of legal, risk management and procurement, in which she explained a quote from City View Specialty Vehicles came in higher than originally expected as a result of changes to the truck’s diesel engine in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s emission standards for 2027.
“It just happened to be timing wise there was a change in the U.S. legislation, and because its built there, it increased our costs and that was unforeseen,” Fire Chief Brent Thomas said during the meeting. “We would like to have not come for more money, but this is where we are.”
The report also cited fluctuating exchange rates as contributing to the increased cost, which is now expected to total about $1.51 million.
Thomas explained the pumper has already been ordered in the hopes of having it delivered in time for the future Fire Station No. 2, planned to be built near the Bond Head water tower on County Road 88.
Prior to supply chain issues seen across multiple industries since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thomas estimated the time from ordering to delivery of a fire engine would typically take between 250 and 500 days, but those timelines have since increased.
“Unfortunately with supply chain issues, typical is out the window,” he said, adding the service is regularly in contact with the manufacturer and estimate the total time from order to delivery will be about 730 days.
A contributing factor to the long wait times is the “niche market,” of fire truck manufacturing in North America, which Thomas estimated might only build 2,500 to 2,800 trucks per year, with each one essentially being custom built.
Luckily, Bradford’s fire service already had a template of what they needed based on Fire Engine No. 1, approved for purchase in 2020.
“We’re pretty proud of it,” Thomas said. “We did a lot of work ... to get the exact truck that we need for the types of fires and firefighting we need to do in Bradford, and it really serves us well.”
As an example, Thomas notes that Bradford’s pumpers don’t require over-sized water tanks, which add weight, because the service already has tankers to service the non-hydrant areas, and completed the necessary training to be accredited in Superior Tanker Shuttle Service by the Fire Underwriters Survey.
As a result, the new pumper will essentially be the same, but with a few tweaks, and the updated diesel engine.
In addition to trying to standardize the fleet and create continuity, Thomas said the service has also been integrating new technologies, including the HAAS alert system which uses a transmitter to notify some driver navigation systems if an emergency vehicle is approaching or is stopped on scene ahead.
That system is already installed on Fire Engine No. 1 and expected to be integrated into the new fire engine as well.
Keeping the fleet up to date is “absolutely necessary,” not only to fight fires, but also to ensure everyone in the community — whether residential, institutional, commercial or industrial — can maintain their fire insurance rating, according to Thomas.
“Being able to get the truck that we need in the timeline that we need it is very important,” he said.
While the countdown is on for that new truck, Thomas was unable to say when work is anticipated to begin on the new station, noting that the joint fire chief agreement between Bradford and Innisfil is coming to an end on May 27, after which Michael Rozario is set to become the new fire chief for Bradford.
“I didn’t feel it was fair for me to just basically scratch the surface on the new station build, because that should be the new chief coming in to take ownership of that,” Thomas said.
While the timeline remains unclear, the chief said the service already has the budget to start work on the new station and during budget deliberations in January, it was revealed that the station could share its three-acre site with a new public works yard, set to feature a sand/salt dome.
Council approved the additional funds without debate.
