PUSLINCH – Replacing its main fire pumper truck will cost the township more than it budgeted for.
According to a new report, staff are asking council to authorize using an additional $200K from the forecasted 2025 budget to replace the Puslinch Fire and Rescue Service's (PFRS) Pump 31 truck with the Asset Management Discretionary Reserve.
The lead apparatus in the PFRS with a high utilization rate, the report warned there is a risk of running the township's current Pump 31 truck, which was purchased in 2005 and has a 20-year life cycle, to failure and both the Interim Fire Chief Brad Churchhill and the PFRS are recommending replacing the truck as soon as possible.
While council previously allocated $850K for the pumper truck's replacement in the 2023 budget process, the report said pricing for heavy equipment and fire trucks has risen dramatically in recent years in all sectors, and a pumper truck suitable for the needs of the township is now priced between $1.1 million and $1.2 million.
However, despite the advance investment, the report said the PFRS will not receive a replacement pump truck by 2025 as build times range from 24-36 months or longer and due to the inflation rate, rising cost of materials etc. and the cost of fire apparatus is outpacing the budget approval process.
In the meantime, Churchill said he's confident that PFRS could extend the truck's service life into 2026 beyond the scheduled 20-year replacement plan and until the new truck is acquired.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
