The Aberdeen Fire Department’s two new fire trucks could arrive by mid-June and be in service by the middle of July.

Members of the department’s new apparatus committee were flown to Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wis., to inspect the rigs earlier this month, a Pierce Enforcer pumper truck and a Pierce Enforcer truck outfitted with an aerial skyboom. The total cost is $1.7 million.

“The new apparatus committee consisted of eight members of the department and spent about 2 1/2 years researching different manufacturers and getting specifications of the apparatus correct for the city and department’s needs,” said Aberdeen Assistant Fire Chief Rich Malizia.

During the inspection, “There were a couple of minor items to fix or touch up,” said Malizia. The trucks will “be driven out from the factory by Pierce staff toward the end of this month to the Hughes Fire Equipment Inc. shop in Tacoma. After final inspection there and a cleaning after the drive, we will get them here in the city mid June we think. There will be training involved with each apparatus and our staff for about a month after they arrive before being placed in service.”

According to a Hughes Fire Equipment Facebook post, the Aberdeen Fire Department personnel inspecting the apparatus took a test drive to Lambeau Field, performed night operations and flew the aerial skyboom, the extendable ladder atop the truck.

Ward 1 Aberdeen City Councilwoman and chairwoman of the city’s Public Safety Committee Tawni Andrews told the council Wednesday the apparatus will replace two vehicles purchased in 1994. According to Hughes Manufacturing, apparatus should be “rotated out” from frontline service every 10 years. Andrews said the vendor paid for the four Aberdeen Fire Department inspectors to fly to Wisconsin “with all the COVID precautions in place to protect our team.” The two apparatus the new rig replaces will be surplussed at some point, said Andrews.

The final payment of $870,000 is due 10 days after the inspection is complete.

The loan to cover the final payment will take the pressure off the city’s General Fund, where the final payment was scheduled to come from, with an expected hit in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A report to the council from Fire Chief Tom Hubbard read, “In anticipation that the City of Aberdeen will experience decreased revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic, city staff are recommending that the final General Fund expenditure for the fire apparatus be offset with an inter-fund loan from the Public Works Department. The loan will be issued from Fund 417 ‘Industrial Water Reserve’ for $870,000 with a loan term of three years. Principle and interest payments are due semi-annually. The rate of interest charged will be 0.81% which is the current rate available to the city as of April 2020 in the Washington State Treasurer’s LGIP (Local Government Investment Pool).”

The council authorized the loan, with an amendment to include authorization of a warrant bond to expedite the payment process. As Ward 4 City Councilwoman Deborah Ross said without the immediate authorization of the payment the city would miss the payment deadline and be subject to extra charges.

COURTESY HUGHES FIRE EQUIPMENT INC. Aberdeen Fire Department new apparatus committee members flew to Appleton, Wisconsin earlier this month to inspect the city’s new pumper truck and skyboom. Pictured from left are firefighter Brian Peterson, Captain Mike Kolodzie, Captain Sam Baretich, and Engineer Brad Frafjord.

COURTESY HUGHES FIRE EQUIPMENT INC. The inspection of Aberdeen’s new fire apparatus in Appleton, Wisconsin, included a drive to Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers.