Sussex officials discuss firetruck purchase

The Sussex Borough Fire Department wants to replace a firetruck that’s been sitting in its bay and hasn‘t moved since August, but the price tag is more than $500,000.

The department’s treasurer, Floyd Southard, told the mayor and council at their meeting Dec. 6 that the department prefers to purchase a Fouts FB rescue pumper, which would be available in January. The purchase would be through Firefighter One in Sparta.

Southard said Firefighter One is willing to give the department $15,000 for the truck it owns, which would bring the cost down to about $524,000.

Borough Chief Financial Officer Michel Marceau said purchasing a new firetruck would cost about $42,950 a year plus interest. That would mean a 4.09 percent tax increase, he added.

Mayor Edward Meyer asked what it would cost to replace the existing engine.

Southard said something is “seriously wrong” with the engine’s rear brakes and no one can figure out what it is. The brakes lock up, creating a safety issue.

In 2020, the department spent $70,000 on front-end work, and the truck still has problems.

“As a certified operator, that truck - no matter what you do it - I will refuse to drive it. Period,” Southard said. “I can’t say that for all our drivers. I’m saying that as a certified fire truck operator, I will refuse to drive it.”

He said he didn’t know how much it would cost to repair the rear brakes.

“I think we need to look at that versus a purchase,” Council President Robert Holowach said. “Even if we wanted to do this, we’re past the first of the year to do it, there’s literally no time to do an ordinance and set the funding up (in 2022).”

He said it likely would take until February to set up an ordinance.

Southard said the new engine is a demo and being held for the department at the moment. “If we turn around and tell them no, they’re going to sell it to somebody else.”

He said the department had not raised the issue earlier because members wanted to know the engine’s trade-in cost first.