|
CITY OF VANCOUVER ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT |
Date: |
October 5, 2004 | |
Author: |
Tom Easterbrook | |
Phone No.: |
604-665-6052 | |
RTS No.: |
04573 | |
CC File No.: |
3651 | |
Meeting Date: |
November 2, 2004 |
TO: |
Vancouver City Council |
FROM: |
General Manager of Fire and Rescue Services |
SUBJECT: |
Purchase of Fire Apparatus |
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council approve the allocation of $800,000 from the Truck and Equipment Replacement Reserve (Plant Account) for the addition of one Air/Support (Equipment) Truck to the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services fleet, in lieu of replacing an existing authorized aerial ladder truck;
FURTHER THAT Council approve an addition to the VFRS Operating budget of $1000 annually to account for additional maintenance costs for this vehicle and $83,000 annually to account for capital rental rate charges.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services RECOMMENDS approval of the above.
COUNCIL POLICY
Council agreed in 1996 that all Fire Department apparatus should be funded through the Plant Account.
Council approves expenditures from Reserves, including the Truck Plant Account.
Council approves all increases in service levels including the addition of vehicles to the City fleet.
SUMMARY
Currently Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services uses Rescue Vehicles to shuttle air bottles from emergency incidents back and forth from the scene to one of two firehalls equipped with an air compressor. At major events, we frequently require as many as two or three Rescue Vehicles to deal with the air needs of the incident. This ties up a considerable amount of resources and staff at a time when coverage of the rest of the City for fire protection and other types of emergencies is minimal at best. The Department is requesting the approval to purchase an Air/Support (Equipment) Truck that would be capable of filling air bottles at an emergency scene, eliminating the need to shuttle air bottles. This vehicle would be equipped with an onboard air compressor/cascade air filling station, a generator to provide electrical power for various incident functions, as well as carry tools, flood lights, positive pressure ventilation fans, electric ventilation fans, various power saws, water vacs, firefighter rehab equipment, and other support equipment needed at most emergency incidents.
This vehicle will be a "not-like-for-like" replacement of an aerial ladder truck that has reached the end of its useful service life and that has been disposed. Funds for the purchase of the Air/Support Truck will come from the Plant Account.. The approximate value of a replacement Aerial Ladder truck is $1.1 million while the Air/Support truck's approximate cost is $800,000. The VFRS Operating budget will require an increase for the amount of required additional maintenance totalling $1,000 per year and an increase for the capital rental rates totalling approximately $83,000 per year.
DISCUSSION
Most large Fire Departments utilize the Air/Support (Equipment) Truck concept to provide additional support at most incident types, but especially at large fire incidents. Bringing a mobile air compressor to the incident ensures the ability to maintain a supply of full air cylinders to support incident operations and to enable apparatus to return to service in a more timely fashion. The vehicle will be equipped with a "remote fill" capability so that SCBA (air) cylinders will be able to be refilled inside High Rise buildings within the limits of this system. This will reduce the need to carry large numbers of air cylinders up and back down the stairs into High Rise fires to enable air cylinder replacement.
The Air/Support (Equipment) Truck would also be an incident support vehicle. It would provide scene lighting, electrical power generation, ventilation fans, various types of power saws, firefighter rehab equipment, and other support tools and equipment. This vehicle would respond to all "working fires" (and other incident types as needed) as a support unit. Benefits of using an Air/Support (Equipment) Truck would be the elimination of the current requirement to shuttle air bottles from the incident scene to a compressor equipped Firehall (there are only 2 Halls equipped with air compressors) and back again, improved scene lighting, and having additional equipment at the incident scene in a proactive manner as opposed to having to call for it later. At large incidents, the Department currently uses up to 3 Rescue Vehicles to shuttle air bottles for refilling. This would be eliminated by using an Air/Support (Equipment) Truck equipped with an air compressor and cascade system, freeing the Rescue Vehicles and crews to provide much needed coverage of the rest of the City during a major incident.
PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS
There is no addition to present staff levels associated with the purchase of this vehicle.
Some training of staff will be required.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
This report is seeking a "not-like-for-like" replacement of an aerial ladder truck with the Air/Support (Equipment) truck from the Plant Account. Total cost Of the Air/Support truck would be approximately $800,000 while the cost to replace an aerial ladder truck would be approximately $1.1 million. VFRS annual budget would have to be increased for maintenance costs by $1,000 annually.
As part of the Plant Account migration strategy for the large fire apparatus approved by Council in 1997, VFRS starts paying capital rental rates once a unit is replaced by the Plant Account. The replacement Air/Support truck will therefore increase the VFRS capital rental rates by approximately $83,000 per year. Approximately 60% of the VFRS apparatus fleet is now in the Plant Account, and the remaining units are expected to transition into the Plant Account by 2010.
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
This vehicle would be put into the currently ongoing apparatus tender immediately upon Council's approval.
CONCLUSION
The Air/Support Truck will enable the VFRS to supply adequate breathing air for bottle refilling at emergency incident scenes and eliminate the need to shuttle air bottles in large numbers to and from emergency incidents, as well as provide better equipment support for incident operations.
* * * * *
