German engineering in fire truck purchase?
Six Craig Fire Department officials to visit Germany to look at Metz aerial truck
A late arrival into the competition to sell the Craig Rural Fire Protection District an aerial tanker truck has led to an overseas trip for six local firefighters.
After investigating two aerial truck companies based in North America, the work group searching for a replacement for the department’s 31-year-old aerial truck has been invited by a German company to consider the Metz articulated aerial truck.
“This is the single largest piece of equipment this department has ever purchased, or will purchase for years to come,” Deputy Fire Chief Bill Johnston said. “This truck will outlast any of the veterans you see here today.”
The passing of the Fire Department’s mill levy request in the November General Election, along with a grant of $462,500 by the Department of Local Affairs, made the major investment by the department possible.
Three veteran firefighters with more than 60 years of experience were put in charge of exploring options for the department. The men, Shayne Sperry, John Felten and Randy Decker, operate the department’s trucks frequently, helping them understand the demands put on the vehicles. They have been meeting weekly since September to review information and make site visits to examine equipment.
The group looked at a Pierce Sky-Arm truck out of Gillette, Wyo., and an E-One Bronto articulated aerial truck located in Aurora before being contacted by the Metz company in Germany.
No Metz trucks were available for inspection in America, so the group was invited to visit with firefighters in Germany who use the trucks every day.
“The company has representatives in Castle Rock, and they stock parts and do maintenance locally,” Johnston said. “The company’s trucks are built in America, and the shipping costs don’t fall on the buyer.”
An articulated aerial platform is the best truck to insure firefighter safety, Johnston said, which is the top priority when researching aerial vehicles for the department.
He cited the Timber Glen fire two years ago, when firefighters had to stand on the burning roof to cut holes and prevent the fire from spreading, as something that could have been handled from the platform on an articulated truck.
Also frozen metal roofs can be avoided and river rescues can be performed from the platform on an articulated aerial truck.
Built-in safety features allow the arm to be retracted even after the hydraulics failed, Johnston said.
Metz plans to have a truck completed in America by June or July, and if the work group likes what the truck offers, they can purchase that vehicle.
After a truck is selected from the three manufacturers, the fire department officers and a citizens committee must approve the choice before it will be recommended to the board for purchase.
The department hopes to complete the aerial purchase by the end of the year.
Dan Olsen can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 207, or dolsen@craigdailypress.com.
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