No approval yet for fire truck purchase

NEW LONDON – When the New London Capital Project and Equipment Committee met Feb. 4 to consider capital equipment and project purchases for 2026, approving $1.3 million for a new pumper fire truck for the New London Fire Department was not one of the items approved.
New London Finance Director Judy Radke told the committee that a new fire pumper truck was not on the list of items to be approved by the committee, but Mark Wilfuer, fire chief for the New London Fire Department was on hand to explain the purchasing process. The committee had discussed vehicles for the New London Fire Department when it met Dec. 3.
“I don’t expect you to approve or provide funding for a $1.3 million piece of equipment tonight, but we do have to get through this,” Radke told the committee.
Wilfuer explained the process for ordering a new fire truck when the city is ready to proceed with the purchase. He said the leadership of the fire department would need to decide what it would want on the truck and how the truck would be built. The specifications would then be submitted to the vendor.
“It would take them a couple of months to put together a specification sheet and then bring it back to us for approval,” Wilfuer said.

He added that the lead time between the approval of a bid and to sign the contract would be one month.
“Then we’re looking at 32 months from the time the contract is signed until delivery, which is 45 months, approximately, or 3.75 years,” Wilfuer said.
When ordering the truck, Wilfuer said it would be important to receive a guarantee from the vendor that the bid price is “locked in.”
The fire truck that the department would be replacing would be a 1992 Ford, Wilfuer said. He added that recently one of the department’s trucks from 1995 had a leak in the piping of its plumbing system.
“The inside of those pipes are almost rotten,” Wilfuer said. “We changed a bunch of piping. We were lucky enough that our own guys could fix it so there wasn’t a whole lot of expense, but it just goes to show you those trucks don’t last forever.”
Ald. Tim Roberts asked if the neighboring municipalities who the New London Fire Department helps would contribute to the cost of a new fire truck for the New London Fire Department.
Wilfuer said those communities pay a yearly fee to the New London Fire Department.
“That’s what part of that money is for,” Wilfuer said. “It’s a substantial amount they pay every year.”
Roberts also asked how often the pumper truck is used each year.
Wilfuer said the fire department has gone on 24 calls this year, and the pumper truck has been to all 24 calls.
“That’s a good question, but keep in mind, we still need it even if it’s just one call in a year, we need a fire truck,” said New London City Administrator Chad Hoerth. “We need this piece of equipment. You can’t just not have these pieces of equipment.”
Roberts asked if fire trucks from other communities could be brought to New London.
Wilfuer said that is an option, but questioned why the city would want to purchase a fire truck that another city does not feel is serviceable anymore.
Roberts said he was asking if other cities could respond to fires in New London.
The city of New London already has agreements will area municipalities to respond to fires in New London, Wilfuer said.
“It’s just a large purchase, I just want to make sure it’s absolutely necessary,” Roberts said.
The truck would be expected to last more than 30 years, Wilfuer said.
Ald. BaLynda Croy said it is a matter of servicing the city’s residents and not having to wait for another fire department to arrive to put a fire out.
“What if Appleton happens to be at another fire? Are we waiting for Green Bay to bring their pumper in?” Croy asked. “I mean, the house is gone by then.”
Wilfuer added that the way houses are constructed now, if a house is on fire, the house will collapse in around five minutes.
“Time makes a lot of difference,” Wilfuer said.
Rescue boat
Another piece of equipment on the capital program list is a rescue boat for the fire department. Radke said she was not asking the committee to approve funding for a rescue boat because the city was going research available grants that could help pay for it. Hosting fundraisers was also an option.
“We are working on the rescue boat and they want something a little different than what they have now,” Radke said.