Christmas is still more than a month away but the Vernon Fire Department is waiting to see if they’ll be receiving a new fire truck in
next year’s city budget.The department has asked for a new truck to replace an aging 1983 Kenworth pumper truck that has seen better days. Fire chief John Lysholm said the $670,000 is already in a reserve fund waiting for council to approve the purchase. “(The Kenworth) was used extensively in the 2003 fires,” he said. “That sped up its life a little bit.”The truck is now used sparingly because it no longer lives up to Workers Compensation Board standards. Lysholm said that today’s trucks are not permitted to have an open cab. He said trucks typically
have a shelf-life of around 20 years.Lysholm said the replacement is part of a long-term plan to replace the fire truck fleet. He said they are hoping to buy a truck that includes both the jaws of life and fire fighting capability so they don’t always have to send two trucks to one incident.“When we go to a motor vehicle incident when we send the jaws unit we also have to take a fire truck,” he said. “The jaws unit has no firefighting application.”Using the Kenworth in the 2003 fires earned more than $100,000 in additional revenue for the city. That money was placed in a reserve to buy newer equipment.Lysholm said the Vernon department is fortunate because past chiefs had the foresight to maintain their equipment and have a good replacement plan in place. Unlike other municipalities he said that Vernon does not have to borrow money to pay for new trucks.“I just feel that my job is to have every bit of equipment possible to do the job here,” he said.If council approves the expenditure, Lysholm said it will take more than a year to secure a new truck. He said he would expect to see the replacement truck in the fire hall by the spring or summer of 2008.
next year’s city budget.The department has asked for a new truck to replace an aging 1983 Kenworth pumper truck that has seen better days. Fire chief John Lysholm said the $670,000 is already in a reserve fund waiting for council to approve the purchase. “(The Kenworth) was used extensively in the 2003 fires,” he said. “That sped up its life a little bit.”The truck is now used sparingly because it no longer lives up to Workers Compensation Board standards. Lysholm said that today’s trucks are not permitted to have an open cab. He said trucks typically
have a shelf-life of around 20 years.Lysholm said the replacement is part of a long-term plan to replace the fire truck fleet. He said they are hoping to buy a truck that includes both the jaws of life and fire fighting capability so they don’t always have to send two trucks to one incident.“When we go to a motor vehicle incident when we send the jaws unit we also have to take a fire truck,” he said. “The jaws unit has no firefighting application.”Using the Kenworth in the 2003 fires earned more than $100,000 in additional revenue for the city. That money was placed in a reserve to buy newer equipment.Lysholm said the Vernon department is fortunate because past chiefs had the foresight to maintain their equipment and have a good replacement plan in place. Unlike other municipalities he said that Vernon does not have to borrow money to pay for new trucks.“I just feel that my job is to have every bit of equipment possible to do the job here,” he said.If council approves the expenditure, Lysholm said it will take more than a year to secure a new truck. He said he would expect to see the replacement truck in the fire hall by the spring or summer of 2008.
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