Alpena city government officials aren’t just buying new fire trucks. They’re buying them the right way.

The Alpena Municipal Council recently agreed to spend $855,000 from its cash savings to buy a new pumper fire truck from the Florida-based firm E-One. It also agreed to hold $2.3 million in reserve to go toward a new ladder truck, but did not commit that money to that purchase because it also sought access to federal funds for that purchase through U.S. Sen. Gary Peters’ office.

But the city didn’t just flip through a catalog and point its finger at the truck it wanted to replace its 28-year-old pumper truck. Officials talked to communities throughout Michigan about the fire trucks they owned, asking them about the pros and cons, and asking frontline firefighters if they’d recommend buying the truck. Only after all that due diligence did they settle on the machine they wanted built for them.

The city didn’t just stop there. It is now planning out a replacement schedule both for the trucks and the equipment that goes on them to make sure its fleet never becomes too old.

In addition to the 28-year-old pumper truck, the ladder truck it aims to replace is 30 years old, its other pumper truck is 22 years old, and its newest vehicle, a mini pumper, is nine years old, Alpena Fire Chief Rob Edmonds told News staff writer Steve Schulwitz for a recent story.

Industry standards say no frontline vehicle should be older than 15, and fire departments should retire vehicles once they hit 25 years old.

We’re glad to see the city not only doing its due diligence on its immediate needs but looking far into the future to make sure, most importantly, that the equipment that keeps us all safe is operating as best it can but also making sure the city’s investing taxpayer money wisely.

The city is planning well and spending our money wisely, and officials ought to be commended.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)