Chief: Multipurpose fire truck would help firefighting operations

WILLMAR - Willmar Fire Chief/Fire Marshal Frank Hanson is proposing the City Council replace an aging pumper truck with a multisystem pumper that Hanson explains would help firefighting operations in a number of ways.
The back passenger area in the proposed $650,000 vehicle could be quickly converted to a command center where two or possibly three commanders would use multiple laptops for several important monitoring and research functions.
Using a program that the department has had since 2010, one commander would be able to warn firefighters if their air supply is running low. Also, the commander could detect if firefighters have stopped moving or have fallen, and warn firefighters if they must exit a dangerous situation.
Another commander would research websites for information to help firefighters fight a specific type of fire, such as a chemical fire. Even if commanders didn’t know the exact type of chemical, they can enter a description, such as a green cloud, and give the information to firefighters before they begin their attack.
The current command center is the front seat of a 2007 Ford pickup truck where one commander, or possibly two if there’s room, must switch back and forth between programs on one laptop.
“Firefighters are the jacks of all trades. We can’t have knowledge on everything. But most of the stuff we’re going to research will be in the hazardous materials area because there are hundreds of thousands of hazardous chemicals out there that you have to deal with, especially in this area because we’ve got the rail and two major highways running through the town,’’ Hanson said.
“There are chemicals in this town that people don’t have a clue of. And I don’t know about, either. You’ll only know maybe a few, and even the ones you do know, you still want to research to make sure you’re doing the right thing because you don’t want to put people up to further risk,’’ Hanson said.
“If we’re on a hazardous materials scene, we’d be able to get on the Internet and research the type of chemical we’re dealing with and the type of protective gear that firefighters need to deal with this chemical,’’ he said.
“Also, there’s programs out there that we type in our location and it automatically draws up an area for evacuation if we need to do that. We have that capability now. It’s just much easier in a spot if you have more room.’’
Besides hauling water, the proposed vehicle would have a fill station to refill firefighters’ airpack bottles on-site. Right now, Willmar calls out the Kandiyohi County Rescue Squad to refill the bottles.
“If we have our own fill station, it would be more self-sufficient. Then we wouldn’t have to call the rescue squad unless we had a major incident that we needed extra people or extra air,’’ said Hanson.
Whether or not the Fire Department gets the proposed pumper will depend on decisions made by City Council members as they work during the next couple of months toward finalizing spending decisions on the mayor’s proposed 2016 budget.
Preliminary votes taken two weeks ago on the 2016 vehicle replacement program and capital improvement program indicate council members favor spending $400,000 as proposed by Mayor Marv Calvin for a new pumper, rather than what Hanson proposed.
City Finance Director Steve Okins said final decisions will be made when the council approves the budget and levy at the Dec. 7 meeting.
Calvin has said about $400,000 remains unappropriated in the 2016 budget, and he said the council will have the ability to move that money around to where their priorities are.
During a joint City Council-Finance Committee meeting Sept. 14, Hanson said the multipurpose pumper would be built to last 25 years and would be used at least 300 times per year for fires and training.
Hanson said the less expensive pumper would not have the command center or air bottle fill station, and Hanson estimates its life expectancy at 20 years because it would be built on a commercial chassis, would have a smaller engine and have cheaper frame rails.
The current pumper, a 1988 Luverne, is a backup pumper and is expected to need additional maintenance soon. Hanson said the department just spent about $2,000 to repair some pump components, and further repairs will be needed if the department waits a year to buy the multipurpose pumper. He also said other departments are interested in the Luverne, but the resale value would be lower with continued use.
Hanson said replacement of the Luverne has been delayed since 2013.
“So we’re really stretching it on this vehicle,’’ Hanson said.