WESTFIELD–The Westfield Fire Department is trying to get an OK from the city council to purchase a new fire apparatus to replace a 30-year-old model still in service.
Westfield Fire Chief Mary Regan put the request for the new apparatus through Mayor Brian Sullivan’s office, who presented the request to the city council during their April 20 meeting. The request is for a five-year lease to own for a fire apparatus that will both have firefighting capabilities, as well as some medical capabilities, and can be used to respond to emergencies in conjunction with the city’s ambulances. The vehicle is estimated to be valued at just over $700,000 and its financing will come from the fire department’s ambulance budget.
Rust appears on the backend of the fire engine that the Westfield Fire Department hopes to soon replace
According to Regan, the vehicle that the new one may potentially replace is 30 years old, has over 100,000 miles on it and has 8,500 to 9,000 hours of use. In addition, the engine needs to be rebuilt, rust has damaged parts of the vehicle and the water pump needs to be replaced.
This is one of the open cab seats that are on the fire apparatus the Westfield Fire Department hopes to replace
Most importantly though, the old vehicle is considered unsafe, according to Regan. The seatbelts within the vehicle are not the proper ones needed for National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) standards. Also, some personnel sit inside of what is known as an “open cab” on the apparatus, which does not fully enclose some firefighters within the front cab of the vehicle. This is also against NFPA regulations, according to Regan.
The funding of the new vehicle–a Pierce Velocity–will come from the department’s ambulance fund because it can be used as a first response vehicle, according to Regan. This means that the city will not be paying for the vehicle through its budget.
“We’re finally getting this into the budget and we’re going to pay for it using the ambulance funds because 72 percent of the calls they go out on have to do with medical,” Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan, said. “So the vehicle itself falls under the use of ambulance funds, which is great because its not out of the general fund.”
Also, because it will be a first response vehicle, it will be equipped with several pieces of medical equipment, which may include some airway management tools, medication and administration equipment, some cervical immobilization equipment for potential cervical injuries, as well as an automated external defibrillator (AED), the last of which is carried on all apparatuses, according to Regan.
Rust is present on several parts of the engine that the Westfield Fire Department hopes to replace
The ambulance generates the majority of revenue for the department. According to Regan, about $2.93 million in ambulance revenue was collected last year, with another $2.6 million in ambulance revenue in 2015. This revenue goes into many different directions in the department, including paying for certain licensure, medical supplies and replacing two ambulances every three years, Regan said.
If the purchase is OKed, the Velocity may take 10 months to arrive at the Westfield Fire Department, since it will be custom-built for the department.
