Consultants Emergency Vehicle Response Fire Protection Services, after a four-month study, is recommending that Coldwater’s Ladder 2, Engine 3 and Truck 8 be upgraded or replaced.
The three vehicles are at the end of their useful life and cannot be economically rehabilitated, the company of retired fire officers reported.
Coldwater city staff has recommended replacement of Ladder 2 for years. Back in 2008, the estimated cost was $850,000, but has grown now to over $1 million.
“The biggest needs is to replace the ladder truck," said Coldwater City Manager Jeff Budd. "EVR has recommended this truck be replaced with a mid-mount Aerialscope that they feel will better serve the community.”
ERV said that with the scope of buildings in the three-township service area, the ladder truck needs mid-mount tower ladder with minimum vertical reach of 95-100 feet and a minimum horizontal reach of 88-92 feet. The company also listed detailed specifications for the replacement.
The consultants explained a mid-mount tower ladder apparatus would cost in the range of $1.2 million to $1.4 million and would provide “for improved scrub area, ladder operations, ground ladder capabilities and enhanced safety for the operating members.”
Unlike the current ladder, “the new apparatus should be designed to be as short and maneuverable as possible,” EVR said, because of the close quarters around the current two-story buildings many downtown.