Fort Worth Fire Department replacing older trucks, buying new firefighter gear
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The Fort Worth Fire Department is replacing 11 fire trucks and will add personal protective equipment to supplement a gear exchange program.
The City Council recently approved spending $14 million with Siddons Martin Emergency Group to buy new trucks to replace the old ones. Once the order is placed, delivery on the new trucks begins in a couple years.
The department will also spend $5.4 million during the next four years to buy gear and extractors used to clean the gear. The contract is with Ohio-based Lion First Responder PPE and Alabama-based North America Fire Equipment Co.
Firefighters borrow gear from the exchange program when their personal set is being cleaned.
The new trucks will replace older trucks that have reached their service life. That is determined by age, hours of use and maintenance costs. Engine trucks, for example, are replaced within eight to 10 years and then become a reserve for another five to seven years.
