A 22-year veteran of the Oxford Fire Department is retiring next year and township officials have already got the replacement picked out.
Last week, the township board authorized the department to spend $522,243 on a new Pierce pumper truck with a 1,000-gallon tank and the capability of pumping 1,500 gallons of water per minute.
When the new truck arrives in six-and-a-half months, it will replace an older model that’s faithfully served the department for more than two decades.
‘It’s just worn out,? explained Fire Chief Pete Scholz. ‘The tank is getting pretty well rusted through and (is) leaking. There’s been driveline problems we’ve had with it. Pump problems, too. It’s lived its life well.?
When determining what features and capabilities the department needed in a new pumper truck, Scholz said he and his staff ‘anticipated (the community’s) need and growth for the next 20 years.?
For instance, the new truck will have the ability to spray foam on chemical and hazardous material fires such as those involving petroleum products. Dousing such blazes with water only spreads them.
The truck will also feature a short turning radius for maneuvering long, narrow driveways; compartment space for medical equipment; a five-man crew cab; and a hydraulic generator for electrical power.
Money for the new truck is coming from the fund balances of the department’s Advanced Life Support and Fire/EMS budgets.
‘The fund balances were created by putting money aside for vehicle replacement,? said Scholz, who noted $100,000 will come from ALS and the remainder from Fire/EMS.
Because the department is paying cash up front rather than upon delivery, Pierce is giving a $22,042 discount on the new truck.