The Faribault fire department will see some new additions in the coming year, as the city council gave the go-ahead for a new truck and renovation design.
As part of its 20-year cycle, the Faribault fire department received permission from the city council on Tuesday to buy the new fire truck.
It will start a transition that will improve public safety in Faribault, employees say.
Although not large, the truck has it to replace some problems, including the electric motor that lowers the portable ladders and the rear intake to which the hose is connected.
When the truck arrives, which is expected between 8 and 12 months, it will be the first out the door after a fire. The acquisition, which is close to $ 450,000, will also start a transition for the department.
Currently, all hoses and couplings on the trucks are four inches, but the new truck will begin the process of converting them to five-inch hoses.
Faribault fire chief Dusty Dienst said with the current ladder car that they can not even maximize a hydrant with a four-inch supply line due to Faribault’s robust hydrant system.
“We (will) get adapters,” said Dienst, to use the five-inch line until further notice before all the trucks are converted. “We will spread it over a few years.”
And even though Dienst’s request was about $ 19,000 over budget, Faribault City Council was happy with the lifetime warranty and did not want Dienst to save on the truck.
To close the gap, Dienst said they would look to sell the current truck on govdeals.com for somewhere around $ 40,000.
“Although this is a 20-year-old truck, it is a working truck,” Dienst said.
For both Dienst and Faribault fire captain Ed Hoisington, the truck has a special meaning, since it was the newest truck when they first started in the department.
“It was a good truck,” Hoisington said. “(But) it’s time for a new one.”
And the truck is not the only upgrade the firefighters are looking forward to. The council also approved the hiring of Wold Architects and Engineers to begin preliminary planning for the renovation of the fire department.
It was the same company that worked at the police department’s facility, Dienst said, even though the upcoming renovations are not as extensive.
The building has had nothing but “firefighter renovations” since it was built in 1967-1968. These renovations include things like paint.
Dienst said that they have already identified goals for the renovation and will design bathrooms for both men and women, install insulation and redesign the layout as fewer firefighters are now on duty at the same time.
“We will be able to make better use of the space,” said Dienst. “Structurally, the building is well built and is in good condition.”
Brad Phenow covers the authorities in Faribault and Rice County. Reach him in Faribault at 333-3135 and in Northfield at 645-1122 or follow him on Twitter @BradPhenow.