Clearwater County Council has approved a capital budget adjustment to purchase a new brush truck for the Clearwater Regional Fire Rescue Services (CRFRS) Caroline station. The new vehicle will replace the current truck, which is nearing the end of its 15-year end-of-life cycle.

Two options were presented to council:

• Option A: Purchase a manufacturer demo truck for $489,000. It would require capital budget adjustment to increase the 2025 expenditure amount by $436,500 and increase transfers from restricted by the same amount. This truck was built by the same manufacturer as other units in the fleet and is available for purchase immediately. By opting for this demo model, the county would save $36,000 from the current approved budget.

• Option B: Proceed with purchasing a new, purpose-built truck for $525,000, which would require a budget increase of $70,000 overall. This option would involve a deposit of $59,500 in 2025, with budget considerations stretching into 2027.

Council endorsed Option A, bringing the total budget for the purchase to $489,000. The amount will be transferred from the county’s restricted surplus fund to cover the cost. As noted above, this adjustment results in an overall budget savings of $36,000 compared to the original plan.

The demo model brush truck which will be purchased by Clearwater County to serve CRFRS’s Caroline station. (Clearwater Regional Fire Rescue Services)

With recently announced U.S. tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel, Clearwater County Reeve Michelle Swanson said purchasing the demo unit now may well prove to be the most cost-effective option down the road.

Council previously approved a capital budget item for a Caroline Station 30 brush truck, with 10 per cent deposit of $52,500.00 in 2025 and the balance of the expenditure in 2027 of $472,500.00. Previously, the unit was expected to be $525,000.00 for construction. The truck would match fire service units currently in service in Rocky Mountain House and Nordegg.

CRFRS Fire Chief John Liadis confirmed the truck is indeed nearly identical to the other ones in service, only needing a CRFRS graphics wrap, and some minor work to move equipment around on the unit.

Clearwater Regional Fire Rescue Services Fire Chief John Liadis appears before Clearwater County council Feb. 11, 2025. (Clearwater County/Youtube)

Liadis says fire trucks typically have a 15 to 20 years life cycle, while command units have a five to seven year, 200,000 km life cycle, while brush trucks have a 12 to 15 year life cycle.

The current FRS021 – Unit 300 in Caroline is certainly reaching that end-of-life, says Liadis. It has a 2011 Ford F550 chassis and is becoming increasingly burdensome to maintain, including a major 2023 overhaul, which took 45 hours of labour.

Describing it as a “great opportunity”, Councillor Daryl Lougheed predicted that due to increasing wildfire activity in recent years, demand for services provided by brush trucks will only increase.

Liadis adds, CRFRS hopes to have the new unit in service before May Long Weekend, and will serve the region for at least 15 years.