Jefferson City Fire Department to get new fleet of fire trucks

The Jefferson City Council approved a more than $4.7 million contract Monday to replace the Fire Department’s frontline fleet of fire trucks.

The contract with the manufacturer Rosenbauer will replace seven trucks, including three pumper trucks, one rescue engine and two ladder trucks.

The department has had its current vehicles for nearly a decade.

“Best practices throughout the industry are that trucks are replaced about every 20 years,” Jefferson City Fire Chief Matt Schofield said. “So we say that there’s about a 10-year life cycle/life span in the frontline fleet, and then they move back to a more reserve fleet or a reserve status after that second 10 years.”

Three of the fire trucks in the current frontline fleet will replace the city’s reserve trucks, or the ones on standby in case one of the main trucks breaks down, for example.

ABC 17 News has reported that the council has already approved a $5 million financing agreement for the new fire trucks as well as some equipment such as radios and hose to put on them.

The department is using a different manufacturer than the one from which it got the current trucks, which will save nearly $460,000.

Buying all seven fire trucks at the same time will also save the city about 15 to 20 percent, according to Schofield.

“New apparatus offer some additional capabilities,” Schofield said. “We have additional functional capacities. So we’re able to do more with those trucks. In addition, they also have things like rollover protection.”

The new trucks will be delivered to the city in about a year.