Brooklyn Park Moves Forward on $4M Fire Vehicle Replacement Plan
The Brooklyn Park City Council reviewed plans this week to replace three costly pieces of fire equipment.
The Brooklyn Park Fire Department is requesting to replace two fire engines at a combined cost of about $2 million. It’s also asking to replace one ladder truck, which would cost another $2 million.
Brooklyn Park Fire Chief Shawn Conway laid out the options at the Sept. 25 city council meeting. He says equipment costs are “rapidly changing.”
A major driver behind the decision is the age of the vehicles being replaced, as well as safety and technology improvements. One of the engines up for replacement was purchased in 1999, the other in 2010. The ladder truck was bought in 2004.
“We currently don’t have airbags in any of our apparatuses. These new apparatuses will. There’s also some components of just securing our firefighters and then the cancer reduction aspect of how we’re able to keep them clean,” said Conway. “That is why we want to move in this new direction with this new apparatus for both the engines and the ladder.”
Most of the costs for replacement are budgeted for in the city’s 2023-2027 capital improvement plan. A fire engine and a ladder truck both take approximately two and a half to three years to manufacture.
Brooklyn Park Fire Chief Shawn Conway presented plans at the Sept. 25 meeting.
Conway says the ladder truck is widely used for rescue efforts due to the city’s housing makeup.
“Because of the number of apartments that we have, that ladder truck is predominantly used for rescue, and securing utilities, extrication,” said Conway.
Brooklyn Park is expected to make its purchases through St. Paul-based MacQueen Emergency with Appleton, Wis.-based Pierce Manufacturing constructing the fire trucks.
The Brooklyn Park City Council is expected to hold a final vote on the purchasing decision in a couple weeks. Council members indicated a general consensus to proceed at the Sept. 25 meeting.
The city, meanwhile, is also considering long-range plans to replace or remodel its four fire stations.
