Arnold seeks bids for new fire engine

Arnold officials have taken the first step toward replacing a 31-year-old fire engine.

Council on July 8 voted to advertise bids for a new fire engine, to ultimately replace its 1994 fire engine.

“The maintenance side of it, it’s getting increasingly costly to maintain that vehicle,” said Chris O’Leath, fire department spokesman. “It’s also getting harder and harder to find parts.”

It’s something the fire department attempted to do last year. The fire company had sought prices from manufacturers for a replacement engine but the city didn’t advertise for bids, O’Leath said.

He said the plan is to use the roughly $225,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds allocated from the city to the fire department to cover the costs of the new engine.

“Because it’s federal money,” O’Leath said, “there has to be a bid process.”

The overall cost of building a fire truck replacing the 31-year-old engine “unfortunately is astronomical,” O’Leath said. He estimated the cost would be at least $750,000.

The CDBG funds won’t cover all of the cost, so the fire department is exploring options, such as leasing or loan options, to pay for the remainder of a new truck, O’Leath said.

“It’s a matter of looking at what the remaining cost is,” O’Leath said.

Council will open, and consider awarding, a bid at a future meeting, O’Leath said.

“We’re not looking to build a parade piece,” he said. “We’re looking to build a functional engine that is going to last us another 30 years.”

Other fire matters

Plans for a cooperative, daylight fire crew between departments in Arnold, New Kensington and Lower Burrell continue to make their way through each city’s government.

Arnold intends to consider the rules for the “tri-city duty crew” at its August meeting.

The cities’ four fire chiefs — Arnold’s Eric Gartley, New Kensington’s Ed Saliba, Lower Burrell’s Brennan Sites and Kinloch’s Ted Hereda — pitched the plan to each government in April.

Each chief recognized a need for improved daytime response for volunteer fire protection and emergency services due to reduced availability of volunteers during the workday.

New Kensington Council already has approved the proposal. Lower Burrell will consider doing so at its meeting Monday, said Mayor Chris Fabry.

“One of the goals of the duty crew is to be able to take firefighters from all three of the municipalities, put them onto the same duty crew, and have them all legally covered as far as insurance and liability and everything else,” Gartley said.

“In order for us to be able to provide that, we have to have an agreement between the three municipalities, and that’s what this ordinance is.”

Arnold Council also approved updated run cards for the fire company.

“The fire department run cards are the assignments that Westmoreland County 911 uses whenever we have a call,” Gartley said. “That’s the departments that are called and what resources we receive.

“The main reason it’s going through council is because Westmoreland County changed their policy. They do not accept the run card changes from the fire companies anymore, they must go through the municipality.”