Cape Fire Department adds six new trucks to fleet

Cape Girardeau's fire department has six new trucks at a total cost of $3.8 million.

The department took the delivery Wednesday, which included three pumpers, one rescue/pumper, one heavy rescue truck and one 100-foot aerial ladder truck.

This makes up the entire front-line fleet, according to a news release from the office of fire chief Rick Ennis.

All six vehicles were custom built to the department's specifications, according to the news release.

Voters approved renewal of the one-eighth-cent fire sales tax in November 2014, which funded the project.

Nick Lucky and his son Asher Lucky sit in the front seat of a firetruck during the showing of the six Cape Girardeau fire trucks purchased at Fire Station No. 2 Saturday in Cape Girardeau.Andrew J. Whitaker

The department will keep some of the existing fleet and sell other trucks, Ennis said.

Two fire pumpers, each 11 years old, will be kept in reserve, and four pumpers and an 11-year-old ladder truck are being sold to help offset costs, Ennis said in the news release.

Battalion chief Mark Starnes said the department sells each truck individually, depending on the needs of volunteer departments nearby.

The process of buying the trucks took about a year and a half, Starnes said. A committee of 14 people, ranked from firefighter to captain, worked to make it happen.

The trucks were built by Rosenbauer Fire Apparatus in Minnesota, battalion chief Brad Dillow said.

"It is a pretty big deal," Dillow said. "These are totally custom-built trucks."

The $3.8 million price tag includes $70,000 to $75,000 in "loose equipment" such as fire hoses and axes, Dillow said.

In addition to the new trucks, Cape Girardeau's Fire Station 2 is getting a remodel, Starnes said.

"They're gutting the inside, adding newer bathroom facilities," along with some other updates, Starnes said.

The new building behind Station 2 is more of an annex, Starnes said, where firefighters are staying temporarily while remodeling is completed.

"It'll be used for storage and for the mechanics' bay," Starnes said, and will house some rescue equipment.

Starnes said the station's location near the interstate makes more sense to store extra rescue equipment because of the ease of access.

"There's a lot of reorganization and redistribution going on," he said.

Starnes said the fleet is going to a 10-year replacement plan for a lot of reasons.

"Before, the trucks would be 25, 30 years old, so they weren't good for much by the time we needed to replace them," he said.

The National Fire Protection Association recommends fire departments rotate their fleet every 10 years, Dillow said.

The city last replaced its fire trucks in 2005 to 2006.

All of the new firetrucks are "virtually identical," according to Dillow, making training faster.

The trucks each have a diesel engine. Five of the trucks have an added, special diesel engine on top that can power the apparatus while it is on the scene of a fire or other emergency and use less fuel.

The trucks also meet new emission standards.

"In the long run, we will save money in fuel and filters," Dillow said.

Volunteer fire departments often buy trucks and equipment from Cape Girardeau's fire department, Starnes said, which also factored into the decision.

"This way, the trucks have years of use left," he said.

Starnes said the maintenance officer, Jason Garms, keeps detailed maintenance records on each vehicle, which helps buyers decide whether to purchase.

Before the fire tax renewal passed, Starnes said, the department budget was tight.

"We had to make do with volunteer help from our people and from the community," he said, along with community donations.

Several years ago, one local business donated a beverage truck, Starnes said, and two other local businesses pitched in to rebuild its engine and repaint the body. Firefighters added interior shelving.

That "beverage truck," Starnes said, is one of the trucks being replaced.

"We're very grateful," he said.

Special viewings of the new fleet were held Friday for department veterans and Saturday for friends and family.

Cape Girardeau Fire Department responds to about 5,000 calls a year for fires and medical emergencies.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address: 378 S. Mount Auburn Rd, Cape Girardeau, Mo.