Some car buyers may be reluctant to buy a vehicle straight off the lot, but officials in River Grove are excited about the demo model fire engine they’ll be able to call their own in a few weeks.
For a cost not to exceed $450,000, River Grove trustees approved the purchase of the 2017 E-one steel pumper truck at their Jan. 18 meeting. Fire Chief Larry LaRiviere expects the vehicle, which fetched a lower price because it was a demonstration model, to be delivered to the department in a few weeks.
The village’s fire department has been operating with dated equipment. At a village board meeting in December held to consider a tax increase, LaRiviere reported on the poor condition of the department’s firefighting equipment and the need for an emergency purchase.
The department’s “newest” and front line engine was from 1998-99 and came with a 10-year life expectancy at the time, LaRiviere said, responding to a question from Trustee Michael Konwinski, who heads the village’s public safety committee.
“What we had in mind was to use that as a backup,” LaRiviere explained, “but we were forced to put that front line into operation.”
The department’s backup to that was a 1988 model acquired through a trade, he said. That vehicle also experienced many mechanical difficulties, he said. The department’s “backup to a backup” was a 1973 engine that was donated from a neighboring fire department and “that was completely inoperable,” he said.
LaRiviere said the aging equipment failed the small department. On one of the occasions, crews were fighting a house fire from the interior when the engine stopped pumping. On another occasion, in a fire at a multiple unit building on Belmont in severely cold weather, “we had a problem there too,” he said. Fortunately, the department had backup from surrounding towns in both cases, he said.
The new vehicle comes under warranty, good for 10 years on cab and body and paint, and up to five years or 100,000 miles on engine and transmission, LaRiviere said. The mileage is calculated at the time the village takes delivery, which should be in a few weeks, the chief said after the Jan. 18 meeting.
Once the vehicle is on premises, the department will be able to add the village name and striping on the body.
“We’re very excited,” the chief said.
