SUMMARY

Project Name: Fire/EMS Apparatus Replacement

Department: Fire Department

Start Date: 7/01/2023

End Date: 6/30/2028

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The fire department apparatus replacement plan within the City's CIP program is put in place to align with anticipated replacement needs for the departments frontline response apparatus. These apparatus include the fire engines, the aerial, and more recently the ambulances fall within this replacement schedule. The recommendation timelines are built based on recommended industry standards as well as real time apparatus history/data sets, or in the case of the ambulances recommendations from other agencies that have had ambulances in their fleets for some time.

The engine replacements are set at 15 years total, the aerials are set at 20 years total, and the ambulances are presently set based on other departments average data at 8 years total. Typically the engines/ambulance units will serve a number of years in frontline service and then transition to a reserve unit status for the last several years we have them in the fleet. These numbers have been different unit to unit based on the replacement schedule timing/any deferments, and the specific role of the unit. The two aerials in the fleet do not have reserve units so they remain frontline the entire time. The CIP allocations for these units include the estimated costing of the unit itself and additional monies for primary equipment replacement for the units (SCBA, hose, some tools, detection equipment, cardiac monitors, hose appliances, nozzles, etc). On the ambulances - power cots, stair chairs, cardiac monitors, additional medical equipment, etc. Wear items/equipment that typically cannot be used in longer that are in place on the unit that is going out of service.

RELATIONSHIP TO comprehensive PLAN:

Chapter 9 : Community Facilities and Services

Goal 5. Fire Protection Services

Provide superior fire and emergency services focused on prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery, and cultivation of a safe, resilient, and self-sufficient community.

Goal 6. Emergency Medical Services

Support a resilient, safe community through the provision of the highest quality Emergency Medical Services focused on service delivery, patient outcomes, and responder health and safety.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES / STATUS:

To date the replacement schedule for the engines seems to still be functioning effectively. However, the newer generation of engines and some of the componentry's have started to wear sooner and fail more readily than some of the older apparatus that this replacement plan was originally designed to replace. It is still unknown if the current aerial trucks will make their given service projections. One aerial had to be replaced early as the result of fire at the repair shop and had to be removed from the fleet. This early replacement caused other engine replacements to be deferred by one fiscal year which in turn can effect the reliability of the engines that need to be phased out.

The ambulances are currently tracking fine with their replacement schedule, with the oldest in the fleet being approximately 4 years old presently. In all the cases, the overall engine hours are higher than the overall mileage. These units are being started up and shutdown day to day/repeatedly in a less than ideal factory recommended manner. The other components within the engines and aerials (pumps/ladders) are separate but tied into the drivetrain components and require annual certification testing. These are additional wear factors for the units (pump hours/aerial hours) and can further drive the need for replacement.