Fire Department Letter to the Voters
Dear Lisbon Voters,
This November you will see a Referendum on the Ballot asking you to approve funds for the Fire Department to purchase two (2) new Fire Trucks. This Referendum will allow us to place these two vehicles under contract and secure prices at today’s rates.
Our fleet is aging and with an older fleet we see age-related repairs and obsolete components. Parts for these components are difficult to obtain if available at all. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Code 1901 recommends that fire apparatus be removed from front-line service after 15 years. This means the vehicles that we are asking to replace have outlived their useful life.
We’ve all seen the economy and what it has done to prices—the Fire Truck industry is no different. Normally, the market sees a 3%-5% increase each year. Over the last two years, the industry has seen a 6%-7% increase about every six months. And, like all automobile manufacturers, we will never see prices drop. The production time for Fire Trucks has gone from 10-12 months to 24-30 months—that’s nearly two years.
The reason for the request to replace the two trucks now is to get ahead of the price increases and save the Town money. We don’t know how long the trend of semi-annual price increases will last, but the history in this industry tells us that the prices will not go down. To place the order now will put the vehicles under contract and secure the prices at the time of the order.
The current plan is as follows: We will merge our 2004 Rescue truck and the 2003 Pumper into ONE vehicle. This will allow for more efficient operations with current and projected lower staff levels. Our 2000 Freightliner Pumper/Tanker will be replaced with another vehicle that will be designed around today’s functions for that truck.
With delivery time nearly two years away, full payment will not be due until they arrive. To go under contract now will secure the prices at today’s rate, not at the rate of the date of delivery,
Nathan LeClair, Fire Chief