If a sometimes unreliable River Grove backup fire engine passes its pumping test, village officials are looking to swap it for a more reliable one and a command vehicle as well.
River Grove trustees passed a resolution on Thursday night, approving an agreement between the village and Quad County Fire Equipment, in support of the move.
The village has been trying to find a buyer for its 2001 Pierce Fire Engine for some time. Explaining the move, Fire Chief Larry LaRiviere told the board Thursday that the fire engine has “become totally unreliable. It has failed us at a number of fires over the past several years. We’ve put over $18,000 of maintenance in this.”
In an effort to get it qualified for what the engine was worth, the department worked with Quad County Fire Equipment, LaRiviere told the board. One of the main things stressed was that the engine would have to pass a pump test to be included in any exchange, he said.
Subsequently, the company informed the village that they might have a buyer for the engine if it passed its pump test.
The engine the company is offering in the exchange, a 1988 E-One, is from Chicago Ridge.
“We know people down there who said it is a very good rig,” LaRiviere said. He said that town’s program calls for rigs to be turned over after a certain amount of use.
The village also investigated the command vehicle, a 2009 Ford Expedition, and found it to be reliable, he said. The village is hoping to get a value of $40,000 for the engine, making it an even swap.
Another major consideration is that all the major problems with the Pierce have been electronic, computer-driven, LaRiviere told the board.
The older engine the village would acquire, “while on the surface it looks like not an equitable deal but this is all mechanical, which makes it much easier to maintain and fix should we have a problem. That’s why we’re advocating this trade.”
Board members unanimously approved the resolution, thanking the chief for his research.
“You guys do so much more than fighting fires,” said trustee Robert Thomas.
