New fire truck to cost county a little more

BENTONVILLE — Benton County’s Committee of the Whole on Tuesday night approved spending extra money for a new fire truck that should be in service later this year.

Committee members backed a request for an additional $16,800. The original budget for the truck was $245,000, comptroller Brenda Guenther said. It now will cost $261,800. The request will next move to the Quorum Court.

The new truck will go to the Piney Point Volunteer Fire Department, said Marc Trollinger, fire marshal. It’ll replace a truck that’s 34 years old. Trollinger expects to have the new truck by June or July.

The county has a fleet of about 60 fire trucks, including one 41 years old, Trollinger said. That truck isn’t a primary vehicle, but it’s still used. The county usually adds two new fire trucks a year, but one was cut for this year to help pay for a new radio system.

Vester Cripps, president of the Benton County Fire Protection Association, urged the committee to consider putting the second fire truck back in the 2019 budget. Cripps is also the Gentry fire chief. No decision was made on Cripps’ request.

Getting new trucks each year is essential, Trollinger said.

“There probably aren’t a lot of people in Benton County who are driving a vehicle that is 34 years old,” he said. “We have some trucks that are way up there. You can’t find parts for trucks like that any more.”

The committee on Tuesday night also approved carrying over unspent money from last year for the new radio system.

The radio project launched Dec. 12. Tower analysis, site upgrades and frequency coordination are still being completed, Trollinger said. The system is expected to go live next year, he said.

The new system will cost $3.75 million. The county spent $1.75 million from reserve and borrowed $2 million to pay for the system.

The new system would be for the Sheriff’s Office and jail, the Road Department, emergency services, the Coroner’s Office and rural fire services, which will distribute the equipment among the smaller fire departments. The county also would buy seven consoles for its dispatch center.

The Sheriff’s Office and jail, the Road Department, emergency services, Coroner’s Office and rural fire departments will get 356 mobile radios, 601 portables and 175 pagers, according to documents.

The smaller cities would need to buy all radios and equipment to be compatible with the new system.

The small cities are Bethel Heights, Cave Springs, Centerton, Decatur, Gentry, Gravette, Highfill, Little Flock, Lowell, Pea Ridge and Sulphur Springs. The Northwest Arkansas Regional Fire Department also was listed with the small cities.