STERLING — The Sterling Fire Department is moving forward with plans to address the “severe operational issues” of its apparatus and vehicles.

Sterling Fire Chief Forrest Reeder told the Sterling City Council in October that over the past four years, the department had spent over $400,000 trying to fix several of its vehicles with severe operational issues. To make matters worse, Reeder said, the vehicles experiencing the majority of these problems are arguably some of the most important in the fleet, Truck/Tower 4 and Engines 3 and 5.

Reeder said the department had spent over $200,000, or just over two-thirds of the original purchase price, on repairs for Truck/Tower 4. Additionally, the department had also spent nearly two-thirds the original purchase price of Engines 3 and 5 trying to maintain and fix them.

The city and fire department were faced at the time with making decisions on how to upgrade the fire equipment.

Sterling Deputy Fire Chief David Northcutt recently spoke with Shaw Local about plans the department has since developed.

‘The Twins’

These two fire engines were aptly nicknamed by SFD for sharing many of the same repair issues.

Engine 3 is currently in Wisconsin for several repairs, including a new motor, front intake and rear discharge. Northcutt said he expects to have it back sometime in February, hoping that the repairs will extend its use another eight years.

Engine 3 was purchased in December 2021 for $150,000. Its first major repair followed almost a year later with a repair bill of almost $28,000. Since its purchase, it has cost the department more than $75,000 in repairs.

Engine 5 was purchased just a few weeks later, in January 2022, for $150,000. It also needed its first significant repair a year after being purchased, at a cost of $28,000. The department has spent just more than $119,000 repairing the engine since its purchase.

Engine 5 is currently in service but the SFD is considering selling it once Engine 3 is repaired, with plans to put that money toward the purchase of a new aerial ladder truck.

Truck/Tower 4

Northcutt said the department’s only truck with an aerial ladder has been back on the streets and is running as it should. He said he was recently given approval from city officials to start putting together specifications for a new aerial ladder truck.

“That doesn’t mean we’re purchasing one yet,” Northcutt said. “We’re putting together some specifications and narrowing it down to a couple of different companies for manufacturing. Depending on the price and availability, we’re still looking at approximately 18 to 24 months due to some EPA requirements on emissions.”

On Aug. 5, 2021, the EPA launched a three-year plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants from heavy-duty trucks through a progressive series of rules. The Clean Trucks Plan was completed in March, with the signing of the final two rules focusing on greenhouse gases for heavy-duty engines and emissions standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles.

Supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to a backlog of apparatus orders that have increased wait times for these vehicles.

On a positive note, Northcutt said that once it is completed, the new aerial ladder truck will have improved safety features, such as roll protection and electronic stabilization, that the current truck does not possess.

Another feature Northcutt would like the truck to have is a jib — a small, adjustable arm attached to the main ladder boom allowing firefighters to extend their reach into narrow spaces or maneuver around obstacles.

Depending on the final specifications and manufacturer, Northcutt anticipates the new truck could cost upward of $2 million.

Truck/Tower 4 was purchased in May 2021 for $319,000. Its first significant repair occurred a little over a year later, in August 2022, at a cost of $9,200, with other substantial repairs following only a year later. The truck has cost the department more than $200,000 in repairs since its purchase.

The SFD is also building a new water tender truck, which Northcutt expects to have sometime in April or May. Tender trucks transport large amounts of water to fire scenes, especially in rural areas without readily available access to fire hydrants.

Once they have the new tender truck, he said both Sterling and Rock Falls fire departments plan to pool their money to make improvements on Sterling’s current tender truck, which will then be used as a backup for both departments.