The District of Houston is leasing-to-buy a new fire engine for $417,423.
William Wallace, Director of Finance says the District maintains an average fire fleet, spending the minimal it can and using equipment for 20 to 25 years before replacing it.
The engine the District is replacing is 37 years old, and if it’s kept too long it could lead to increases in Houston home insurance costs between 15 to 30 percent, said Fire Chief Jim Daigneault.
The District budget is set up to annually deposit $10,000 into reserves for fire equipment. Then they upgrade one piece of equipment every five years.
There is $47,500 in the 2014 budget for a deposit on the engine, and the engine will be paid off through a five year lease starting 2015.
Wallace says the lease will cost the District $82,000 every year from 2015 to 2020.
The 2015 Freightliner Chassis fire engine is the “latest and greatest” from Hub Fire Engines and will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2015, Daigneault said.
It has 330 horsepower, pumps 1,050 gallons of water per minute and has three compressed air foam ports.
With a fleet of three engines, one rescue truck, and one water tanker, Daigneault says this is a great upgrade to his fire fleet.
“It’s the latest technology which makes it safer fighting fires and more efficient,” he said.