The Tempe Fire Department is struggling to keep aging trucks on the street and is requesting nearly half a million dollars in emergency funds to purchase a new pumping engine.
Maintenance problems have been steadily increasing over the past 18 months, and the fleet is now approaching a "critical state" where a truck may go down without another ready to replace it, said Jim Gaintner, assistant fire chief.
"We've been kind of bumping up against that point with some regularity here as of late," Gaintner said. "We haven't crossed into that territory, but it's just been by luck that we haven't been in that situation."
City council members will vote on the emergency purchase at their regular meeting Thursday.
The truck could be delivered in about 30 days, Gaintner said.
Typically, purchasing a new fire truck takes about a year, he added.
They are usually custom-built according to the city's specifications. But fire department officials located a pre-built fire truck from Ladson, S.C.-based American LaFrance, according to city documents.
"We're at a point where we're desperate for a truck, and American LaFrance happens to have another truck out that meets our needs," Gaintner said.
Tempe fire trucks tend to survive about 10 years of frontline use, he added.
But that lifespan has been decreasing in recent years as the trucks are used more consistently.
"We put so many miles on these trucks compared to what we did 10 or 15 years ago that they just wear out quicker," Gaintner said.
Information about the ages of Tempe's existing fire engines was unavailable Monday.
The city already published a request for proposals for another new pumper truck, which has already been budgeted and will arrive in a year, according to documents.
A ladder truck is also scheduled for delivery later this year to replace an aging vehicle.
Tempe residents have not been in danger because of vehicle maintenance issues and the problem has not caused a reduction in the number of trucks on the road, Gaintner said.
"We haven't been in that situation," he said. "But without being able to purchase this truck now, we could be in that situation any given day."
Council member Mark Mitchell said the city council is committed to protecting Tempe residents.
"We care very, very much about public safety, and that's one of the reasons that the fire department is asking us to look at purchasing the truck right now," he said.
Reach the reporter at: jonathan.cooper@asu.edu.
