The Parksville Fire Department will soon add three new command pickup trucks to its fleet, to replace older vehicles leaving service.
Parksville council, during its Oct. 3 regular meeting, authorized Fire Chief Marc Norris to award a contract for three new trucks, for use as command/utility vehicles, to Parksville Chrysler for a cost not to exceed $185,737.44.
Council also authorized the fire chief to trade in the three older vehicles to Parksville Chrysler, or sell them to other fire departments.
The fire department uses pick-up trucks as command/utility vehicles because of their versatility, since the trucks work well across many uses and conditions, including emergency response duties, inspections, towing, public education, training and community support, according to a report to council by Norris.
Although the vehicles are not subject to excessive mileage, they do see multiple and repeated cold/quick starts, long idling times, 4x4 use, towing, transport of various cargo and frequent multiple passenger use.
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The fire department command/utility vehicles are on a six-year replacement schedule for balance between reliability and safety in conjunction with trade-in or sale value at time of fleet renewal. Previously the trucks were replaced one per year in three consecutive years.
This is the first time the trucks will be replaced together, which city staff believe will reduce time spent on procurement, as well as improved pricing on multiple vehicles.
Parksville Fire Department prepared a request for proposal for the replacement of the three vehicles. Parksville Chrysler’s proposal was the only one received prior to the submission deadline and met the criteria, according to the report.
The report anticipates a minimum of $81,000 for the three trucks’ trade-in value — a number that could increase if the vehicles are instead sold to other fire departments.
The replacement of the vehicles is identified in the city’s 2022-2026 financial plan.