Wouldn’t it be nice if all of the fire departments in the United States could be fiscally responsible and replace their apparatus fleet every seven years? If they could maximize the vehicles’ trade-in value before the apparatus started to become a severe maintenance problem? If they could proactively work with apparatus manufacturers to maximize buyback funds, and engineer and design a new fleet specific to a city’s needs–all while achieving cost savings for taxpayers?
This is exactly what Chief Jack McElfish and his deputy chiefs and officers of the Sandy Springs (Ga.) Fire Department (SSFD) did. And to understand how they accomplished it, we first need to understand a bit more about this unique city and its equally unique fire department.
The 411 on Sandy Springs
Sandy Springs is a diverse city encompassing 38 square miles, located in Fulton County, Ga., just north of Atlanta. The city’s population of 97,000 swells to 200,000 during the daytime hours due to the large influx of workers at major corporations and businesses. The city is home to 43,000 housing units, 59% of which are multi-family dwellings. The city also has 125 high-rise buildings with 22,000,000 square feet of office space. Interstate 285, the fifth-busiest in the country, runs through the town.
The SSFD is a relatively new department, created in December 2006. At that time, the city government purchased a new fleet of Pierce Dash and Enforcer vehicles. Seven years later, however, the apparatus committee and chief officers decided that it was time for a change.
How did the SSFD manage to convince the city government to purchase a whole new fleet after only seven years? It was proactive thinking on the part of all those involved–the fire department, city government and its finance department. The city of Sandy Springs itself is a leader in government function and structure, always trying to identify cost savings for its residents. The city agencies unanimously agreed to work with the SSFD to structure this purchase.
It wasn’t hard to convince city officials that sometimes, newer is better. The key was identifying the cost savings for the department and the city. According to SSFD Deputy Chief Mark Duke, an evaluation of the current apparatus pointed them in the right direction.
“Our warranty with Pierce expired in 2011,” Duke says. “After seven years of service, some of the vehicles needed repairs that had become costly, and downtime had become an issue also. If we waited longer, the trade-in value would decrease considerably.” By buying new vehicles with new warranties, the SSFD would also realize an immediate cost savings related to maintenance and repairs.
“To purchase these new vehicles, we used the Florida/Georgia Sheriff’s competitive bidding process,” Duke says. “We were happy with the quality and the overall operation of our Pierce apparatus, and decided to go with them again for this large purchase.”
Doing so saved the city a great deal of money. Under the agreement, Pierce bought back the department’s current fleet and provided the SSFD a credit toward the purchase of the new fleet, as well as a low interest rate.
Quantum LEAP
The new SSFD fleet is an all-Quantum fleet consisting of six vehicles:
- Two Quantum engines
- Three Quantum quint aerials with 105′ ladders
- A Quantum quint 100′ platform
“The platform is a first for us and was purchased to help with the many high-rise buildings in the city,” Duke says. “The decision to buy Quantums was based on having more room in the cabs for our firefighters as well as having the extra space to mount a climate-controlled EMS compartment.”
The vehicles also feature larger Detroit Diesel engines and extended front bumpers to mount rescue tools for extrication, which keeps firefighters out of the way of traffic when blocking the interstate or other roads. Also added were light towers, extra scene lighting all around, 40-gallon Class B foam tanks with integrated foam systems and all preconnects.
“The vehicles were designed with extra compartment space,” Duke says. “Every inch was utilized, including fender wells that are used for storage of SCBA bottles and fire extinguishers.” In addition, all of the engines, compartments and pump panels are identical on all of the vehicles to aid in simplicity and training.
“Dealing with Pierce and their local dealer Ten-Eight Fire Equipment was great,” Duke says. “We had some minor problems that were corrected immediately and both organizations answered all of our questions. We made several trips to the Pierce factory in Appleton during the manufacturing process and also for a final inspection. The employees were great to deal with.”
Lessons Learned
Although you might not be able to replace your whole fire apparatus fleet at once like the SSFD did, you can gain some insights from how they did it:
- Evaluate your current fleet to determine whether replacing one or more apparatus early will actually save you money in the long run.
- Develop a positive working relationship with your city, village or town government.
- Investigate the possibility of purchasing from a state contract or buying consortium. There are many out there to choose from.
- Investigate and choose a manufacturer that will be willing to take your vehicles as a trade-in early and give you a great credit in return.
You may think the Sandy Springs approach isn’t going to work for you, or that it’s too far-fetched. But before you jump to conclusions, do some ground work to see if it can happen. Many fire departments around the country have traded in or sold their 7—15-year-old vehicles to gain a new vehicle.
The bottom line: Proper preplanning and investigation far enough in advance may make your apparatus purchase easier during hard economic times.
Sidebar – Sandy Springs Fire Dept.
- Founded December 26, 2006
- Four stations
- 135 firefighters, 85 full-time, 50 part-time
- Average firefighter has 11 years of service
- Responds to 10,000 fire and EMS calls each year with a strong emphasis on EMS
- Since inception has responded to 287 building fires.
Sidebar – All-Pierce Quantum Fleet
- 500-hp Detroit Diesel engines
- Allison EVS 3000 automatic transmissions
- 2,000-gpm Waterous pumps
- 500-gallon poly tanks
- 40-gallon foam tanks with Class B foam
- Harrison PTO-driven generator
- Nite Scan light towers
- Husky foam systems
- Electronic stability control
- Side-roll protection system
