By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
A new fire truck to replace the Slackwood Fire Co.’s aging Snorkel 21 is inching closer to reality, after Township Council’s introduction of a bond ordinance Tuesday night.
The $1.6 million bond ordinance earmarks $135,000 toward the purchase of a replacement for the 24-year-old Snorkel 21, which has been taken “out of service” for repairs more than 30 times in the past three years.
The bond ordinance also includes money to buy equipment for the Department of Public Works; turnout gear for the Slackwood and Lawrenceville volunteer fire companies; communications equipment; computer and office equipment; and miscellaneous park improvements.
If Township Council gives final approval to the bond ordinance at its May 21 meeting, it will have authorized the potential expenditure of nearly $1.1 million for the purchase of a new ladder truck for the volunteer fire company over the past three years.
A previous bond ordinance approved in 2011 authorized $500,000, and a bond ordinance approved in 2012 authorized $468,000. The proposed bond ordinance authorizes $135,000, bringing the total to approximately $1.1 million.
A new ladder truck for the Slackwood Fire Co. would not be delivered until 2014, Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun said. Bonds or notes would be issued to pay for the fire truck, but payment on the debt would not begin until 2015 and by that time, township officials expect to have reduced current debt by $675,000.
Fire Chief Michael Oakley and Deputy Fire Chief Marty Sudol of the Slackwood Fire Co. appeared before Township Council Tuesday night to ask about the status of a replacement fire truck for the volunteer fire company. They had made a case for replacing Snorkel 21 in December.
Snorkel 21, which is the main fire truck used by the Slackwood Fire Co., should have been replaced several years ago, based on an approved fire apparatus replacement schedule, Chief Oakley said. It is time to replace it, because the maintenance costs on the fire truck have been increasing, he said.
”The purchase (of a new fire truck) is not a ‘want,’ it is a ‘need,’” Chief Oakley said, pointing out that the township’s three volunteer fire companies Lawrenceville, Lawrence Road and Slackwood and their 45 volunteer firefighters respond to about 1,800 calls every year.
Acknowledging the need to replace Snorkel 21, Mr. Krawczun outlined the replacement schedule for the township’s fire trucks that grew out of a 1993 fire department study. According to the schedule, Snorkel 21 should have been replaced in 2011.
Mr. Krawczun also told Township Council that the three fire chiefs had agreed that they would forgo replacing some of their fire trucks in order to replace Snorkel 21. The Slackwood Fire Co.’s rescue truck will be taken out of service and may be auctioned off later this year.
Two fire engines one that belongs to Slackwood and another that belongs to Lawrence Road were slated for replacement this year. They will continue to be used, but not replaced when they wear out, he said, adding that it would cost about $600,000 apiece to replace them.
Mr. Krawczun said the Lawrenceville Fire Co.’s ladder truck will be replaced eventually, but with a specialty piece of equipment most likely, another aerial piece that could hold more water. The Lawrenceville Fire Co. covers the northern part of the township, and there are few fire hydrants in that part of the township.
A replacement for Tower 23, as the Lawrenceville Fire Co.’s ladder truck is known, would be designed to hold more than the current 300-gallon tank capacity, he said. That feature also would be useful if there is a car fire on Interstate 95, which is in the fire company’s territory, he added.
