Three new fire trucks are expected to roll into Coquitlam next year but the city won't be shopping around.
Earlier this month, city council approved a request by Fire Chief Tony Delmonico to buy the trucks from a company that has built six vehicles for the department over the past decade, all of those purchased either through open tender and sole sourcing processes.
Delmonico said many North American cities are standardizing their vehicles and equipment to ensure consistency of fire apparatus. "It's especially important when you have firefighters working in the middle of the night," he said. "All the pump panels need to be the same and so do the truck operations. When it comes down to seconds for saving lives, it's worth it."
"This is something that's really important for us to have the same equipment and the firefighters trained," Coun. Linda Reimer said at the Nov. 7 council meeting, adding there will be "fluency and ease of assigning staff."
But Coun. Lou Sekora said he didn't like that the city won't be going out for public tender to buy trucks. "I have a great problem supporting this," he said in voting against the proposal. "To lock up with only one company, I have a great difficulty."
Meanwhile, Delmonico and city staff are expected to start negotiations with Safetek Emergency Vehicles Ltd. representatives soon on the cost of the customized replacement trucks, believed to be around $2.8 million. City council has also asked Delmonico to report back on his department's fleet needs over the next five years.
