Fire truck purchase questioned

The township board voted 3-2 Oct. 31 in a special meeting to purchase a 109-foot ladder truck that essentially replaced a pumper truck that was sold approximately three years ago. The cost of the new truck is $677,644. The board voted to pay cash for the truck that is now expected to arrive in mid-January essentially depleting the fire equipment fund and leaving about $60,000 in the fire operations fund.

Supervisor Lew Bowman opened the meeting up for public comment and was first addressed by Keith Forche. Forche retired from the fire department Oct. 20 after more than 35 years of service to the township. Forche said he found a huge problem with the township rushing to purchase the vehicle. He questioned the cost, need and whether it would be safe for fire department personnel to use the truck.

            “The township has never had a ladder truck,” Forche said, “in one month’s time the price increased dramatically, how do you justify the increased purchase price when the one for $500,000 was turned down?”

            The fire department had been looking at a 78 foot pre 2012 emission standard vehicle that had been a demo model with a price tag closer to the $500,000 mark. Voters in May turned down an additional half-mill millage request for a new truck.

            Blissfield Township board trustee Jason Fischer reiterated that in the summer the board did not believe funds were available to buy a truck and went so far as to state in the July board minutes that the board would not buy a truck at this time. Fischer said after he had talked with the township auditor this fall it became apparent to him that the operations money could also be used to purchase equipment. He was originally against the purchase of a ladder truck n favor of a pumper/ tanker truck as a replacement. But changed his mind based on his own research of new trucks and because he said the township had more of a water carrying capacity than he first understood.

Copyright 2011 River Raisin Publications, Inc.  For Melissa Burnor's complete story on this discussion, please see the Nov. 16, 2011, edition of The Advance.