The decision to purchase a new ladder truck for the Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Service will fall upon the entire town council.
The town’s administration and finance executive committee makes no recommendation on the proposed $1.2 million vehicle.
That was the lowest of three requests obtained by Fire Chief Tyler Moffitt.
Councillor Wendy Brunetta says they should leave it for all of council to weigh in.
“This would normally have gone to the capital budgeting process. I know it came this year, and we agreed to go to tender. But as we do with all of our capital purchases, it really should go to the full council for discussion,” says Brunetta.
That discussion is likely to happen this Monday. Mayor June Caul knows where she stands.
“Our fire department is an insurance policy basically for the entire town of Fort Frances. It’s important the town remember that we hold everybody’s like in our hands as well by having the proper apparatus and proper equipment for our firefighters,” says Caul.
The purchase would replace the current ladder truck, which is 33-years-old.
Moffitt says it is one of their most important pieces of apparatus.
Not only does it provide life-saving rescues for any building, which we have done over the years, it gives you a high-angle master stream for any burning structure, including a single-structure, and we basically used that on the Piston Ring fire a few years ago,” notes Moffitt.
Moffit notes if the town ordered the vehicle this year, it wouldn’t be made available until 2022. Payment on the truck would happen then.
He says a trade-in of the existing vehicle is doubtful, and any sale likely wouldn’t fetch anymore than $10-thousand.
