St. Paul —The Town of St. Paul knows it needs to replace two aging fire trucks, but council wants a clearer picture of how it would pay for a roughly -million replacement before signing a contract.

Council voted September 28 to table a decision on purchasing a new aerial fire apparatus until its next regular meeting on October 13, giving administration time to bring back additional financial information.

Fire Chief Trevor Kotowich presented three proposals for a new aerial apparatus intended to ultimately replace both the department’s 1997 Freightliner FL-80 secondary pumper and its 2001 Smeal aerial truck.

The approach follows a July 16 Committee of the Whole discussion where council recommended Fire Services begin engaging suppliers for pricing.

“The priority right now is that 1997 Freightliner,” Kotowich told council. “It is dated. We need to replace that.”

Rather than purchase another pumper now and return to council in a few years to replace the aerial, Kotowich said the department is trying to address both needs with one purchase.

“We’re kind of combining in that aerial because within the next two to three years that truck definitely needs to be replaced,” he said. “So we’re hoping that one purchase will satisfy both these needs.”

Two aging trucks, one replacement

The Town’s primary pumper is a 2016 truck, while the 1997 Freightliner currently serves as the secondary pumper.

The department also operates the 2001 Smeal 78-foot aerial truck acquired in 2022.

Kotowich told council both older trucks are beyond the service life the department would prefer for frontline fire apparatus.

He said the issue has been discussed through several budget cycles and warned council that he cannot guarantee the long-term serviceability of equipment of that age.

“This is my fourth budget cycle, fourth year of trying to replace a truck,” Kotowich said. “You need to appreciate the age of these trucks.”

The need for aerial capability was also discussed in relation to how St. Paul has developed. Kotowich said the community now has more than 16 buildings of three storeys or higher, not including the new Sunnyside development.

Three new-truck proposals on the table

Fire Services approached three suppliers and received proposals for new aerial apparatus, with the final submission arriving just before the September 28 meeting.

That timing meant the detailed proposals were not available when the public council package was published.

One option presented was a new Smeal 77-foot rear-mount aerial, similar to the department’s existing aerial but with roughly 25 years of technological advancement. Its anticipated delivery time is approximately 400 to 450 days following a pre-construction meeting.

Another proposal would see delivery in 2028.

The third, a Pierce apparatus supplied through Commercial Emergency Equipment, had a landed cost of just over $2 million and an estimated delivery time of approximately three and a half years.

That supplier also offered a 10 percent discount if the Town paid the full purchase price at the time of ordering, bringing the landed cost to approximately $1.8 million.

Council questioned whether the savings from prepaying would outweigh the financing or investment implications of putting up that amount of money years before receiving the truck.

Kotowich also told council suppliers have indicated that exchange-rate changes alone have affected fire truck prices by about $40,000 since July.

Town has money set aside — but not $2 million

The Town currently has approximately $600,000 in fire reserves.

An additional $250,000 was included in the 2026 capital budget as the Town explored purchasing a used apparatus. That amount is separate from the fire reserve.

However, administration cautioned that this does not mean the Town has $850,000 in unrestricted cash immediately available for a purchase.

Council spent considerable time discussing whether to finance the remaining cost over a longer period rather than trying to raise the full amount over one or two budget years.

One possibility discussed was a debenture over approximately 10 to 15 years.

Under a hypothetical $2-million purchase scenario previously prepared by Fire Services, the Town could face about $1.2 million in progress payments in 2027, followed by another about $625,000 in 2028.

Council also discussed whether future grants could free up municipal dollars, although administration cautioned that signing a purchase contract before a grant is approved could make that purchase ineligible, depending on the terms of a future funding program.

Used trucks haven’t been ruled out

Despite seeking proposals for a new truck, Kotowich said the department continues to watch the used market.

One example considered was a 2012 Pierce 75-foot aerial formerly used at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

While the truck appeared attractive, it had approximately 178,000 kilometres on it.

Kotowich noted that all eight fire apparatus currently in St. Paul’s bay combined do not have that many kilometres.

The used market remains an option, but the department has not found a unit that has convinced officials to abandon the new-truck process.

Decision coming back October 13

Council ultimately decided it was not ready to select a supplier on September 28.

Members wanted administration and the Town’s financial staff to provide more information about financing, borrowing and how a purchase of this size would fit alongside other upcoming capital projects.

The timing is relatively tight because the supplier proposals are generally valid for about 30 days. Kotowich said at least one supplier may need to be contacted to determine whether its September 10 proposal can remain valid until council meets again.

Council voted to table the matter until October 13.

That means St. Paul has not purchased a new aerial truck yet — but council will have the approximately $2-million decision back on its table in two weeks.