Smithville Fire Chief Charlie Parker hosted a public forum on the subject of the city fire department’s need for a ladder truck last week at City Hall.
The department’s suggestion is  that the city purchase a 75-foot ladder truck in order to be prepared to fight larger fires at some of the larger buildings in town, and that the city council put funds in the budget to make a down payment and enter into a five-year lease-purchase agreement on the vehicle.
“Our recommendation is a 75-foot ladder truck with a 1,750 gallon per minute pump, which gives us a 1,500 gallon a minute water way,” Parker said.
“It also has a 300 gallon tank and it carries hose and other equipment, so we can use it as a first line engine also.
“We can count it as an engine and a ladder truck. I think we need to make a conscious effort to keep some of our money. We purchased our last fire truck in 2001. We did a lease purchase on that. We had the money in the bank to pay for it all then. At that particular time we got cheaper money to lease it and draw money off of the bank. That's probably not going to be the case this time. Interest does not draw very much,” Parker continued, “but we don't have to spend all our capital outlay in one year.”
Parker said a year-to-year lease-purchase plan may be the most practical option.
“Our recommendation is to put a down payment down and do a lease purchase,” he said. “We're looking at a five-year lease purchase. This is a year-to-year lease.
“Once you make a substantial deposit, it is on a year-to-year lease, so if you decide you don't want it in two years then you can give it back to them. That's not very smart on our end of it because you'll already have two years into it. We think the lease purchase is probably the best way to keep some money in the bank and still accomplish what we need,” Parker shared.
The chief said that there was some variance in the price of such a truck, but the price of the demo unit that the department recently tested was approximately $680,000.
He said that many demo trucks are still available.
“We were at a weekend training class in Sevierville the weekend before last, and  we saw some demo trucks that are still available,” he said.
“Talking with some truck manufacturers, they are expecting raw price increases coming in the next month or two,” Parker continued.
“The 2001 truck that we bought was a demo unit and we got it at a pretty substantial price difference than what we had actually bid,”  he said. “It was already made. It had probably 99 percent of the specs that we (required) except for a few minor things they had to change. That's one way there could be a cheaper price for a truck. We can put it in the budget for next year or we could continue to wait.”
“It’s up to the citizens,” Parker said. “It’s up to the board. Our goal for the Smithville Fire Department is the protection of our citizens.”
Although there has been some controversy over whether Smithville needs a fire truck of this size, Parker said the vehicle would be invaluable for fires at larger structures around town, as well as making conditions safer for firemen.
He also stressed that the department already has the necessary training to operate the vehicle.
“The Smithville firefighters want to be able to extinguish these larger fires," Parker told the assembly.
“We currently have the knowledge, personnel, and training to fight these larger fires, but we do not have the equipment to do so,”  he continued.
“There have been several of these fires in the past in Smithville from apartment fires to factory fires and we feel that an aerial truck can significantly reduce the amount of time spent on an emergency scene and increase the safety of our firefighters by having the equipment to  do it with.
“We need it to access the roof of a one- or two-story building in our downtown district. We need it to access windows of two- or three-story apartment buildings or homes around Smithville. We need it to be able to put water above ground level where we need it.
“If we need to put water in a second-story window, we can't do that off of a ground ladder. We can, but in a small amount. With a ladder truck, we can operate the nozzle that's mounted on the end of the ladder, or we can do it remotely from the base. That nozzle can put 1,500 gallons of water a minute onto that fire.
“When we get there in the first crucial minutes of a fire, if we don't get to it really quick it'll get bigger really quick, and that makes it harder for us to fight. It makes it more dangerous for us to fight.
“This is one thing we're really pushing for. To be able to get the water above ground where we need it, when we need it, and how much. With the nozzle locked back, we can use the ladder in rescue mode, picking people out of windows or off of roofs.”
In support of the proposition, former Smithville Mayor Waniford Cantrell took the floor, saying that the plan is "the best deal in town.”
“As far as I'm concerned time's a-wasting,” said the former mayor.
“We need to go ahead and get serious about buying this. I see no problem for us looking for a demonstrator and if we go with a down payment and a five-year lease program, you're not going to get a much better deal than that. I guarantee, I can find enough money in this budget to do this,” Cantrell continued.
“I'd like to see the council get serious and let Charlie get some definite money figures and go ahead and purchase one of these things on a purchase-lease plan and spread that cost out. This is going to be the best deal in town,” he concluded.
 No one in attendance expressed any opposition to the proposed purchase.