Jerome Township Division of Fire will soon have a new fire truck.
Township trustees voted Monday to purchase a new truck for $510,000 from Sutphen in Dublin. The 2019 Sutphen Pumper will replace an existing truck that is now out of commission and not repairable, according to Jerome Fire Chief Doug Stewart. The engine cost is $472,000 but the trustees approved the additional $38,000 to go toward equipping the truck to meet the needs of the township.
“This truck will be brand new off the line and is similar to our existing one so training will be minimal,” Stewart said. “The similarity was a crucial part in deciding what truck to buy. We want our station to get trained on this as quickly as possible and a familiarity with it definitely makes that possible.”
Jerome operates with two engines, two medic units, a grass fighter, command vehicle and two support vehicles. Stewart hopes the new truck will help the township separate out the duties of the existing equipment and extend the life of their vehicles.
Stewart also looked at a ladder truck but said the size and cost was not suitable for the township. The ladder truck cost would have been $900,000.
“We looked at getting a ladder truck but this engine is the best option for Jerome Township right now,” Stewart said, “This purchase is something that will last us 20-25 years.”
Since the truck is new off the line, Stewart said Sutphen is touring it around the country as a demo but the township hopes to take possession of the vehicle sometime in mid-June.
Stewart also presented a strategic plan for the township highlighting a “community driven” approach to their “mission, vision and core values.” The plan outlines seven strategic goals that the township hopes to accomplish over the next three to five years. Goals include developing better relationships with the community as well as surrounding departments and improving things such as training and response times.
“We are here to serve the members of this community so we wanted their input on what they wanted,” Stewart said. “We looked at a number a of things including training and types of service and want to do whatever we can to meet the needs of Jerome Township.”
Also at the Monday meeting, trustees:
Approved a bid to Site and Pipe of Marysville for $289,240.50 for concrete work to be done to the fire station.
Approved a special resolution to pay an invoice for professional services, including a previous balance, to Taft, Stettinius and Hollister, LLC for services rendered by Christopher Connelly. The combined total was $2,068.