Sleepy Hollow FD Wants Village to Replace Truck

SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. — Sleepy Hollow needs to make replacing one of its fire trucks a top priority, Fire Chief John Korzelius told the Board of Trustees last week.

Korzelius said the village should “start to replace it sooner than later.” He told trustees that fire trucks go up five to eight percent in cost every six to eight years.

The replacement truck would cost approximately $600,000 to $620,000, although Korzelius noted that the village would spread the payment out over a couple of years. The truck that needs replacing, Korzelius said, pumps water. The fire department also uses it in car accidents.

Korzelius said the recommended timeframe to replace a fire truck is around the 20-25 year mark. That’s when the “major parts start to get a little tear and ware.” When trustees asked about the condition of the truck, Korzelius said there was rust on the bottom.

Korzelius said the wheels weren’t going to fall off soon, but he couldn’t wait for truck to stop working.

“I’m trying to stay ahead of the curve,” he said.

The last fire truck the village bought was in 2006.

Korzelius said the truck committee has been working on a bid for replacing the truck for about four to five months. Once the bid is sent out and accepted, the truck committee would pick out specific specs that it needs.

Korzelius said the department was also looking into hiring a consultant to supervise the truck bid. The consultant would make sure the truck is “what we need, not what we want.”

Trustees liked the idea of hiring a consultant, although they said it would be helpful if Korzelius could provide numbers showing how much repair work on the truck costs. They also asked to see prices from recent years to determine how much cost would increase. A new truck might cost the same as keeping the current one, Mayor Ken Wray said.

“I think we need a little more information,” Trustee Bruce Campbell said.

Korzelius stressed this was a long, arduous process.

“I don’t want to be on the backburner,” he said.

Wray told Korzelius the board was taking the matter seriously.

“You have our attention,” Wray said.

Do you think the village should replace one of its fire trucks right now? Tell us in the comments below.

 

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