N.C. Community Mulls Merits of Quint Fire Truck

April 26--The City Council is set to consider the purchase of a quint truck for the Clinton Fire Department, a move that would act to replace an aging pumper and fill a key departmental need, officials say.

The Council has been discussing the matter for several months and staff is expected to propose at Tuesday's regular meeting the purchase of the quint, which will serve as a pumper and aerial device. According to city staff, the purchase of a single truck will assist with the city's ISO (Insurance Service Office) rating and require less manpower than a pumper and traditional ladder truck.

The cost of the quint is $675,000.

A quint, or quintuple combination pumper, is a fire service apparatus that serves the dual purpose of an engine and a ladder truck. City manager John Connet told Council that option, as well as the possible option of purchasing two trucks separately, are up for discussion.

"We need a new pump," said Connet, who spoke to the subject briefly at a special meeting last week. "It's about whether you get the hybrid -- a combination pumper and ladder -- or get the two trucks, a pumper and a ladder, separately. If we get the ladder truck with the capabilities of a pumper, it will be the first line responder to everything but car wrecks."

A quint only requires four people, while a ladder struck would take six people in order to maintain and improve the ISO rating, Connet noted.

Mayor Lew Starling questioned whether the "massive" truck should be the go-to vehicle for responding to fire incidents.

"Every time the whistle goes off, you're taking all this equipment all over the town," said Starling. "Is that overkill? It's like taking a 10-ton truck to church."

If purchased, the quint will go to structure fires, commercial fire alarms and everything that is not a motor vehicle wreck, Connet noted. The $675,000 price tag on the quint was comparable to the cost of purchasing separate ladder and pumper trucks, he said.

Councilman Steve Stefanovich tended to agree with Starling, at least from the public perception side. Hauling the ladder and pumper around, with related equipment, may not always be the best look.

"From a perception standpoint, it doesn't look good," he said. "Would we be better off having an extra truck in the fleet?"

"I like the idea of the quint," Connet replied, "because it is a dual purpose."

At the regular Council meeting earlier this month, Connet and Clinton interim fire chief Robert Swiger presented a strategic plan for the department, one that called not only for the immediate purchase of the quint but also the hiring of four additional firefighters.

No action was taken on the request, which was presented for information and expected to be discussed as part of upcoming budget workshops.

Connet has recommended the purchase of the quint to facilitate delivery by early 2013.

The truck has a 20-year life span and will be financed over a 10-year period, in order to reduce the burden on the Capital Improvement Plan, a slate of high-dollar projects on the docket for financing over future years. Connet said he has met with local industries, including Smithfield Foods and Schindler Escalator, to gauge whether they would be willing to participate in the cost of the truck.

According to a comprehensive staffing study of the Clinton Fire Department, conducted last month by Trexler Insurance and Services of Colfax, the hiring of four firefighters was recommended "as soon as possible." Upon the arrival of the quint late this year or early next, the department should hire six additional firefighters, the study stated. That would mean 18 firefighters to be divided over three shifts, resulting in six full-time firefighters each day. The end result is 10 firefighters each day with the addition of part-timers, as well as three additional administrative personnel, for a total of 13.

Mutual and automatic aid from other departments should be able to bring the two or three more firefighters for 16, in accordance with National Fire Protection Association.

Currently, there are 11 full-time staff and 17 part-time at the department's Wall Street station. During the daytime, seven are on duty, including the chief, deputy chief, training officer and four full-time members. At night, there are four firefighters on duty. The Beaman Street station is not staffed.

City officials have proposed for the next fiscal year hiring four firefighters and a realignment that would see six firefighters during the day and six at night through the utilization of part-time staff.

It has also been recommended to convert from 12- to 24-hour shifts, gradually increase the number of firefighters to 10 per shift and contract with adjoining fire departments for manpower while utilizing part-time firefighters to fill in the gaps. The Beaman Street station should be staffed with a minimum of two personnel 24/7 and a compensation policy modified to encourage call back for firefighters, Connet said.

The Council is slated to meet this Tuesday, May 1, for its regular monthly meeting. The board will meet in evening workshops on May 15 and May 24. Those are scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137 ext. 121 or via email at [email protected].

Copyright 2012 - The Sampson Independent, Clinton, N.C.