New fire trucks will cost $9.6M

With a lingering backlog on delivery of new fire engines, Rockford has placed an order for six new vehicles for the Rockford Fire Department worth $9.6 million that are expected to arrive sometime in 2028.

On order are three Pierce Enforcer PUC Pumper trucks equipped with 2,300 feet of fire hose, a 500 gallon water tank and a pump capable of dousing a fire with 2,000 gallons of water a minute. Also on order are three Pierce Velocity aerial trucks equipped with 105-foot steel ladders.

Rockford Fire Chief Michele Pankow said the ladder trucks are versatile can be used for much more than rescues and fighting fires in high-rise buildings. The end of the ladder can pump 1,000 gallons of water a minute, and trucks are equipped with a variety of ladders.

“Two aerials are actually dispatched to every structure fire in the city,” Pankow said. “If we have a large commercial structure ... even if it's only one story, but we need to get above it and get some reach, those aerials can flow water and if we can't do an interior attack we can use those aerials.”

Each of the intricate vehicles is custom built to the city's specifications. Rockford won't pay for them until they are built and delivered, said Rockford Finance Director Carrie Hagerty.

Purchased from Aurora-based MacQueen Equipment, LLC. the funding comes from the 2024 Rockford Fire Department capital vehicle and operating equipment budget.

Once the vehicles arrive, they will replace six frontline vehicles which will be moved to reserve. Vehicles in reserve that are replaced will be sold at auction. Fire vehicles are kept on the frontline for nine years before being rotated to reserves, allowing the city to get value for their enormous cost but also preserving resale value at auction, Hagerty said.

See FIRE TRUCKS, Page 4A