GRAVENHURST — A fire department pumper truck that was routinely washed with salty water will be replaced by the town, at a cost of $450,000.
Deputy fire chief David Eidsness was asked to report on the condition of the 15-year-old Station 2 Kilworthy pumper before council decided whether to replace it.
Eidsness said the pumper, which also serves as a backup pumper for Station 1, is washed at Station 2 after each emergency call it attends. The water used to wash the truck reportedly has a high concentration of salt.
Salt was once stored on the property and ended up in the groundwater and Station 2’s well, Eidsness told the corporate services committee of council. The water problems have contributed to corrosion on the truck, he said.
A visual inspection of the pumper by the public works mechanic on Feb. 23 revealed the rear cab is showing signs of structural corrosion and that body corrosion behind the cab is severe.
Metal piping in the engine compartment is starting to rot and is showing signs of oil leakage, and the aluminum engine components are also corroding. Lighting and emergency lighting connections are corroded and the pumper requires all new tires. The cab is also starting to separate from the back, the inspection found.
The mechanic noted the cab is not reinforced for rollover protection — a requirement of the National Fire Protection Association for new trucks, and that the pumper may not pass an annual safety test in 2010.
“It seems like all of a sudden the truck has corroded out,” said Eidsness.
The fire department’s policy is to replace emergency front-line fire trucks every 15 years, and to put the replaced truck into reserve for another five years, as long as it passes safety checks.
“It’s too far gone to be able to go into reserve,” Eidsness said.
Councillors heard that the truck has responded to more than 800 calls since 1999, although it has been in use since 1995.
Given the salty water, councillor Bob Colhoun asked whether the town would be facing the same problem in a few years with a new pumper.
“If we purchase a new vehicle and wash it with water that has salt in it and then we store the truck in a heated building, the salt is more active than in cold conditions,” said councillor Bob Colhoun. “…Are we going to attend to this problem or wait until we’re at the stage we’re at now?”
Eidsness said the department can consider washing the new pumper truck at Station 1 and look into a rust-inhibiting undercoating.
“I have concerns with running the truck up and down the highway for the sake of washing,” Colhoun said. “We should look at removing the salt from the water supply.”
Mayor John Klinck agreed.
“Otherwise we’re going to be replacing more units faster than we think,” he said. “We certainly can’t have volunteers in a vehicle where someone’s fingers can poke through.”
Council opted to keep the $450,000 expenditure in the 2010 budget. The purchase will be internally financed through the town’s Community Reinvestment Fund. Once the new pumper is ordered, it will take nine to 12 months for delivery, Eidsness said.
There could be additional expenses because of Environmental Protection Agency regulations that require a secondary exhaust component on diesel engines. This adds an estimated $15,000 to $20,000 per engine, which was not included in the capital budget.