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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br /> August 28,2023 <br /> 6:00 o'clock p.m. <br /> water. One vehicle is not enough for a house fire but just as they do now in the non-hydrant areas,they <br /> would call for mutual aid.About 70 percent of the community does not have hydrants.He said tankers do <br /> not always have a pump but having a pump on this vehicle would make it more useable for the other City <br /> departments. Orono did not look at a used tanker/tender because they wanted it to be useable for other <br /> departments and have a longer life. <br /> Benson said these are coming out of the Fire Capital Fund and the balance is currently$77,000. She asked <br /> if these costs would come out in 2025 or 2026. She cited the most recent Long Lake purchase of a similar <br /> brush medical truck for just over$200,000 and an engine for$100,000. She noted the brush medical rig in <br /> this list had been proposed by Van Eyll in 2022 when he was the Long Lake Fire Chief but it had been <br /> tabled. <br /> Van Eyll explained that the trucks would be leased over a period of time and that the City of Long Lake <br /> already has the equipment for the truck so does not have to pay for outfitting,which reduces the cost. The <br /> engine Long Lake is buying is a used engine that is significantly older than the one Orono is proposing, <br /> he said.He reiterated it is necessary to have two rescue pumpers that are 15 years old or less to remain <br /> NFPA compliant.He explained Long Lake had tabled the purchase of the brush medical vehicle because <br /> of questions about the quotes and then Long Lake's focus changed to purchasing command vehicles <br /> because they were very difficult to find at the time. <br /> Veach asked about fire call data,pointing out most calls are medical. She said a lot of money is being <br /> spent for a small percentage of calls,but she understands it is necessary to have this equipment. She also <br /> asked about the size of the new department given that Orono accounted for about three quarters of the <br /> calls answered by Long Lake Fire and asked if a staff of equal size is appropriate. <br /> Van Eyll said seven percent of calls are house fires,others are alarms that do not result in a full fire. The <br /> majority are medicals. He said it seemed reasonable to have the same size department, especially with the <br /> hope of adding service to nearby small communities.He called it future-proofing. <br /> Benson asked about whether the Long Lake Fire Department had a capital improvement plan. <br /> Van Eyll said it does but he was restricted to$103,000 worth of funding coming in per year.In regard to <br /> questions about the possibility of leasing to own the equipment,Van Eyll said the costs for the various <br /> trucks from the manufacturer included interest and were the high end. The City may be able to do better <br /> on a lease which would also flatten out the payments over a period of time. <br /> Veach asked how purchases like this were made in the past. <br /> Van Eyll said the City of Orono bonded for Fire Station 2 and the rescue vehicle and engine there in about <br /> 2004. <br /> Crosby moved,Johnson seconded,to purchase a Brush Medical Response Utility from Fire Safety <br /> USA for$225,259 and the outfitting for$130,000 for use by the Orono Fire Department for a total <br /> cost of$355,259 and authorize staff to obtain a competitive proposal using a selective RFP for lease <br /> proposal.VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 1 (Benson). <br /> 18. AUTHORIZATION TO PURCHASE RESCUE PUMPERS <br /> Page 10 of 15 <br />