Cities and towns from South Carolina’s Lowcountry to its Upstate, Midlands, and everywhere in between, work hard to prioritize public safety, including the fire departments within their jurisdictions. Maintaining a well-organized fleet is paramount, which is why the procurement and ordering of new fire trucks and engines takes a considerable amount of time, resources and expertise. Some cities leading by example in this area include North Augusta, Travelers Rest and Cayce.
With a combined police and fire service in its Department of Public Safety, the City of North Augusta is expanding its fire protection with the addition of a fourth station and the allotment of $5.5 million to fund two new fire trucks to supplement its most recent service truck procurement.
In prioritizing the ordering of new trucks, Chief Junior Johnson said a key early part of the process is meeting with City Administrator Jim Clifford.
“We came up with a plan based on industry standards and practices across the board,” Chief Johnson said. “We want to replace our first-out engines every 15 years, our aerial apparatuses every 18 years, and the goal is to replace all the ancillary trucks — like the tanker, the brush truck, the service trucks — every 20 years,” he continued.
Funding for the procurement of new trucks is provided through Aiken County’s 1-cent Capital Projects Sales Tax, he explained.
“When we were developing the list of things we wanted in our next group, we looked at what is the age of the trucks, and when [they] are due for replacement; the ones that were due for replacement are in this cycle of this term of Capital Projects Sales Tax, and so we wanted to go ahead and order them at the beginning of the collection period because it takes time for them to manufacture those trucks. That way we are not waiting until the day that we need them to order them, as there is still a three- to four-year wait,” he said.
Johnson, who has dedicated more than 25 years of service with the North Augusta Department of Public Safety, said that the department uses custom-built trucks to ensure symmetry across all of its stations.
“Firefighters will have to fill in for other firefighters at other stations, and it makes the training easier if you are sticking with the same platforms,” he said.
The city allocated $5.5 million to secure a pumper truck and two ladders, along with the addition of more modern equipment. The department currently has four total engines and two ladder trucks, and procured a service truck manufactured last year.
“It has a cascade system, [which is] the ability to refill bottles as well as carry additional air packs and equipment that firefighters need on a structural fire scene,” he said.
In Greenville County, the City of Travelers Rest prioritizes the procurement and ordering of new fire trucks, one of the biggest line items in the capital improvement budget, through a bidding process.
“In terms of identifying the funding, we utilize the master lease — the capital lease — where we go out and solicit through [request for proposal] invitations to participate with us in the financing of the truck over a period of time,” said City Administrator Shannon Herman. “With a fire truck — because it is such a long-term expense — you look at pushing that financing across 10- to 15-years’ time and making the payments manageable in terms of your cash flow.”
Fire Chief James “Mac” McMakin described a fire truck purchase as “one of the largest and longest-term investments a municipality will make,” and one driven by safety requirements, rather than convenience and appearance.
“Every decision we make is centered on protecting our citizens and giving firefighters the safest, most effective equipment possible while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars,” he said.
Herman said that the city ordered a truck almost three years ago. The truck ordered is still in production, so they opted to customize a stock pumper truck to meet the community’s needs. The new truck is scheduled to arrive in September.
“When we went through the ordering of the ladder truck, which we plan to have in our fleet in the next four years, we actually put together employee committees to study the bells and whistles that are needed,” said Herman. “Our employee committees go and visit other entities, see how other trucks are set up, and we compare it to our current fleet. If it is replacing a piece, we think, what do we want to do differently on a piece to speed up performance and response times?” That has been really successful, getting the buy-in from the employees from the beginning.”
For the City of Cayce, prioritizing the procurement of new fire trucks begins at the city council level. “It starts with our city council,” said City Manager Michael Conley. “Our city council has prioritized the public’s safety and our first responders very high on their list … We get that prioritization from our city council and it comes down to me, and [Fire] Chief [Steven] Bullard sitting down and having discussions way in advance.”
Around the time a truck has accumulated 10 to 15 years of service, the city begins looking at replacement options.
“Given the build times for those trucks – because they’re 100% customizable – they take anywhere from two to four years to build, so we have to get on it pretty early in the game so they can reserve a spot to build a truck,” said Bullard. “Those time limits are put in place by NFPA, which is the National Fire Protection Agency; they have a huge committee nationwide that sets standards for the fire service and what fire service is supposed to be doing with trucks, equipment and personnel.”
Last year, the department received a custom-built Pierce Enforcer.
“It carries 750 gallons of water; it has a 1,000 [gallons per minute] pump on it, and can carry six people with equipment, hoses – all the good stuff,” explained Bullard.
In addition to the pumper truck last year, the department has received two additional vehicles.
“As Chief says, they’re going to the lifecycle of their vehicles,” Conley said. “Chief and his team are looking at what needs to be done, what are our next steps, where do we think we need to go, and then it is communicated between Chief and myself,” he said. “It’s doing long-term planning, and long-term budget prep as well. Also knowing so many years in advance that in 2027, we need to look at replacing the squad vehicle, or a ladder truck, or a rescue – or whatever it is … We can start putting in that long term budgeting.”
Many factors play a role in how municipalities prioritize and order fire trucks. With advanced planning and a proper procurement funnel, departments are making public safety a priority by solidifying long-term investments in customized fire trucks that protect a community for years to come.