Agenda Packets - 2011/03/07 - Laserfiche WebLink

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SBM Fire Department Memorandum From: Chief Zikmund To: Blaine City Manager Clark Arneson Mounds View City Administrator Jim Ericson Spring Lake Park City Administrator Barb Nelson Blaine Finance Director Joe Huss Mounds View Finance Director Mark Beer Re: Five Year Capital Budget Date: January 12, 2011 In the course of the next five years the department will continue to experience significant capital needs due to apparatus replacement and aging of the buildings. In order to best prepare policy makers to evaluate and plan we have developed a five year plan which allows a greater perspective. The plan does not include replacement of our aerial apparatus which, by 2016 will be 26 years old. Typical life on an engine is 20 years and 25 years for ladders. While we have had direct experience with our engines not lasting to the 20 year expectation, we do believe the aerials have more than 26 years. Additionally, the command staff is unanimous in their decision that we do not need two aerial devices. At an anticipated cost of $1.3 to $1.4 million this is significant. Furthermore, the 95’ E‐1 with the bucket is a very high quality truck with an all‐aluminum body and, a rebuilt engine (four years ago) and a recently re‐cabled ladder and refurbishment of the major hydraulics. Command Staff is also unanimous in their decision to refurbish rather than replace. Given the work done we may in fact have ten to twenty more years of life, especially if we travel the refurbish as needed path. In the next three years we have three engines to replace and our mobile air truck. The command staff met on January 10th to discuss and explore a transition of the fleet from the “ginormous” trucks we are currently using to a more compact efficient but nearly equally as effective “smaller” engine. The price difference is about half; $350,000 fully equipped versus $660,000 fully equipped. Total savings equals just over $1 million. The plan seeks $3.2 million over the next five years using the higher priced engines, that drops to $2.2 million or just short of 33%. In addition to the engines and mobile air unit is one more chief’s replacement vehicle, one time money for replacing radios, workout equipment at station three, and bunker gear; and ongoing money for station maintenance, RMS/Computer, and the Joint Training Facility. The $3.2 million proposal results in an average need of $643,000. If the decision to transition to smaller engines is implemented that number drops to $442,000.