Council members for Clearwater County and The Town of Rocky Mountain House have expressed their support in getting a new aerial fire truck by increasing the budget.

Officials say the Town and County have had many discussions on the replacement of the unit 604 aerial fire truck. Discussion is primarily based on what is needed, say council members, noting it starts with safety improvements and the service level the truck would provide.

Clearwater County council reviewed the request from Christine Heggart, Director of Emergency and Legislative Services, Clearwater County at their March 4, meeting and passed a resolution to consider amending the 2022 capital budget to jointly acquire an aerial fire truck for $1,650,000.

During Rocky town council’s meeting March 22, Town officials acknowledged the importance of having an aerial fire truck that would check-mark all of their safety and service level needs, so approved increasing the budget from $1.2 million to $1.65 million.

“We have done a lot of work in the last couple weeks with the apparatus commitment committee and the fleet manager as well. We have dug deep into a couple manufacturers that we have access to,” explains Deputy Fire Chief Evan Stewart. “We have options to get an apparatus that meets our needs at the $1.65 million mark.”

Town officials said, under the Regional Fire and Rescue Service Agreement, the acquisition of this truck is a 50 per cent cost share between the County and the Town. Officials say a 10 per cent deposit for the new aerial fire truck would be part of the 2022 budget, with the purchase cost to be part of the 2023 budget.