A tanker truck purchased by the Oxford Fire Department in 1996 will be refurbished rather than replaced in order to save tax money and increase the vehicle’s lifespan.

Last week, the township board voted 7-0 to spend up to $130,000 on the refurbishment. It will be done at Pierce Manufacturing Inc.’s Midwest Regional Service Center in Weyauwega, Wisconsin.

Pierce submitted a quote of $111,493 to do the job, but officials kept the authorized amount at the previously-budgeted $130,000 as a cushion just in case more issues are discovered once the work begins.

“When it first rolls into the factory, they test the truck from top to bottom,” said Fire Chief Pete Scholz. “They do a full report on everything that they find. Hopefully, it’s not a whole lot. And then, they bring that report back to us.”

The chief noted right now, the price is $111,493 and “nothing else can happen above and beyond that unless” it’s authorized by himself and township Supervisor Bill Dunn.

The refurbishment will include such things as replacing all the lights with more energy-efficient LED lights; replacing the plumbing around the pump with stainless steel lines as opposed to the existing galvanized piping, which suffers from constant rust issues; checking the chassis for corrosion or cracks; checking all the valves and rebuilding them as necessary; and installing automatic dump chutes that will allow the water tank to be emptied quickly and safely.

Refurbishing the 20-year-old truck is definitely a less expensive option than replacement.

According to Scholz, it would cost more than $500,000 to purchase a new tanker.

“We should be able to get another 10 years worth of work out of this truck (by refurbishing it),” he told the board.

The tanker can hold 2,500 gallons of water and it’s capable of pumping 1,500 gallons per minute.

“Most of our township is covered by tankers,” Scholz explained. “We really don’t have (fire) hydrants all over the place, so it’s a very valuable piece of equipment.”

The truck is also used “quite extensively” when it comes to providing mutual aid when fires erupt in surrounding communities.

Scholz said tanker trucks are generally the first thing requested by neighboring fire departments.