Addison’s township board authorized the purchase of a new fire truck during its April 18 meeting.

The fire department will purchase one Pierce Pumper Tanker truck with two hydraulic hose reels and two 100-foot lengths of hose, along with necessary connectors, at a total cost of $453,478, through Wixom-based Halt Fire, Inc.

The purchase was originally priced at approximately $525,000, but was lowered through the Michigan Inter-governmental Trade Network (MITN).

MITN is a government purchasing group which provides a way for local governments in Michigan to more effectively notify vendors of request for proposal (RFP) and bid opportunities, while using shared resources to increase efficiency and reduce costs.

This purchasing list allows cities to make equipment purchases without the wait of having to solicit bids.

Back in September 2015, Rochester Hills posted a request for proposal on the MITN. Rochester Hills and Washington Township then entered into a cooperative purchase and received an additional discount from the equipment dealer, Halt Fire, Inc., which later agreed to extend the special pricing to the Addison Township Fire Department, saving the township approximately $60,000.

The fire department received an additional $10,000 discount for pre-paying the total amount.

The old equipment, purchased in 1997, is to the point where its safety features are no longer up-to-date, according to Morawski.

“There are a lot of upgrades that we’ll get with this new fire engine. The braking system is definitely one,” he said. “We’re very thankful for the taxpayers. It took us eight years to save and acquire this (new truck). None of this would be possible without our taxpayers so we really appreciate the opportunity to put a new engine into our front line and help service our community.”

The new fire engine is expected to be used as a reserve truck for the fire department— taking the place of a truck purchased in 1993, which will be sold.

The new fire engine will be delivered in approximately 220 days.