Fire department needs new rescue van

Champlain Township’s Fire Department needs a new rescue van. What council has to figure out is how much the township can afford to spend.

The rescue truck is a 1994 model, which is now showing its age. With all the equipment it carries, the unit now exceeds the maximum axle weight allowance, to the point where it can carry just one member of the fire department when out on a call, and that is the driver. A fire truck from one of the stations then has to accompany the rescue van on all callouts in case the situation requires more than one person to deal with the problem.

“We should go with something good and (more) recent, and it should be double-axled,” said Councillor Marc Séguin, during the Dec. 14 session for the 2018 budget review.

Council and administrative staff spent two days reviewing the proposed 2018 budget. The second day was occupied with the capital works portion, which includes the Champlain Township Fire Department’s request for $30,000 to buy a replacement rescue vehicle. The problem is that $30,000 may not go far towards the cost of even a good used vehicle.

Mayor Gary Barton noted that a new rescue vehicle unit in the five-tonne range could cost a minimum of $130,000 for the basic chassis and frame. All the equipment and storage boxes from the old unit would then be transferred onto the replacement. A custom-built rescue van, he explained, could be as much as $250,000. The old rescue van could be modified to handle more weight, the mayor observed, but it would still be expensive and still leave the fire department with a used vehicle that is more than two decades old.

Councilor Troy Carkner suggested, with support from councilor Pierre Perrault, that the township should look at replacing the present unit with a newer used vehicle which is in good condition and can handle the weight of both the rescue equipment and crew. “This is just a truck to carry equipment and men,” said councilor Carkner.

Council agreed in the end to leave the fire department request for $30,000 in the 2018 capital budget plan and consider using $20,000 in the township’s emergency fund towards purchase of a replacement rescue van. Council will wait until township administration research costs and then decide on purchase plan options.

Le service des incendies du canton de Champlain a besoin d’une nouvelle fourgonnette de sauvetage pour remplacer l’actuelle fourgonnette qui a plus de 20 ans. Le conseil municipal a accepté de mettre de l’argent de côté dans le budget de 2018 pour l’achat d’une nouvelle fourgonnette, mais demande à l’administration et au service des incendies de commencer par faire des recherches sur les véhicules de sauvetage neufs et usagés.