Costs to repair fire department equipment add up

PDF:National Fire Protection Association’s suggestions for ages of fire equipment

The engine in a Chattanooga Fire Department pumper went up in smoke Wednesday — the second time a pumper’s engine has broken down in the last 30 days.

Damaged pumper engines cost about $20,000 each to repair, and department officials worry maintenance costs for old trucks surpass the equipment’s value.

About half the department’s front-line fleet that responds to calls every day is at least 19 years old, Fire Chief Wendell Rowe said. Their water tankers, used when hydrants are unavailable, are between 34 and 40 years old. Both pumpers — also called fire engines — whose engines blew are 23 years old.

“(Ten years old) would be ideal, but that’s kind of unrealistic,” Chief Rowe said. “I wouldn’t mind seeing us operate front-line equipment ... no more than 15 years old.”

The National Fire Protection Association, an organization that creates and maintains minimum fire prevention requirements, recommends that front-line equipment older than 25 years be replaced, said Carl Peterson, director of the NFPA’s public fire protection division. Anything in good condition built between 1983 and 1991 can be used as backup equipment, he said.

“If they’re not replacing an apparatus on a regular basis as it gets older, then suddenly everything’s old,” Mr. Peterson said, adding that finding replacement parts for outdated equipment can be problematic.

Using old equipment poses little risk because it annually is inspected for flaws, Deputy Chief Randy Parker said. He said he cannot remember equipment malfunctioning en route to a fire, and if trucks break down backup equipment is available. Some of the backup equipment, however, is at least 40 years old, officials said.

Deputy Chief Parker said the greatest concern involves repeated maintenance of an aging fleet, especially because one-time repair costs sometimes nearly equal a used truck’s $70,000 value. New pumpers cost between $400,000 and $450,000 each, he said.

“At a certain point, you just have to make a decision if those vehicles have a lot of problems, a lot of miles,” he said. “You just gotta take it out of service.”

The department created a five- to seven-year plan to replace half its fleet and will present the proposal during the City Council’s capital budget meeting later this year. Deputy Chief Parker said he is optimistic the council will understand the need for new equipment and approve the plan, which could be financed through bonds or capital outlay.

Dan Johnson, the mayor’s chief of staff, addressed the issue during the fire department’s operating budget presentation during the city’s budget hearings Thursday. Though equipment is not included in the operating budget, Mr. Johnson said he wanted to lay groundwork for the plan, which he estimates will cost $10 million.