Supervisors to consider new fire truck

By By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
Sept. 3, 2003
Lauderdale County supervisors will wait until later this month to consider two proposals for the purchase of a new fire truck for the Toomsuba Volunteer Fire Department.
Pierce Manufacturing Co. priced a Class A pumper at $164,000, while Sunbelt Fire &Apparatus priced one at $174,662.
County fire coordinator Clarence Butler recommended at the Tuesday board of supervisors meeting that the two bids be taken under advisement.
District 5 Supervisor Ray Boswell asked Butler what prevented him from accepting the lower of the two bids. Butler said he was making sure both of the trucks met all specifications outlined for bidders.
Boswell told Butler to be prepared to re-advertise for bids if he was going to recommend the Sunbelt proposal. Butler said he will let supervisors know if the bids don't meet original specifications.
Said Boswell: "Rest assured, you won't be able to purchase a truck for $10,600 more than the low bid unless we throw them out and re-advertise. I just wanted to get you prepared for that."
After the supervisors' meeting, Butler said he will either recommend the board buy one of the trucks, or, in the event the specifications have not been met in either of the two bids, recommend the truck be rebid.
Either way, Butler said, it's time to replace the Toomsuba Volunteer Fire Department's 15-year-old pumper.
Butler said the county's last pumper purchase was in 2002 when the Collinsville Volunteer Fire Department's truck was replaced.
The truck that was replaced, however, is still in service as a back-up unit and is being used now by the Russell Volunteer Fire Department while repairs are being made to its pumper.
Butler said the current Toomsuba truck probably will be sold. He said two more pumper trucks must be replaced next year for the Lauderdale Volunteer Fire Department and the Suqualena Volunteer Fire Department.