Corner Brook buying pumper truck without government help

The City of Corner Brook will be purchasing a new pumper truck, without government assistance, to replace a 1996 vehicle currently in use.

Council held a meeting Friday to discuss the purchase of a new truck for the fire department, which would cost around $500,000.

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In a Facebook post, Mayor Charles Pender said he had written to government to request access to emergency funding to help the city purchase a replacement truck, but was told there was no money available.

Council was also told it could not reallocate funding from its provincial multi-year capital funding to help with the cost of buying a new truck.

Pender said he called a meeting Friday and council voted unanimously to purchase a new pumper truck using only city money.

"We have directed our staff to look for internal savings, which we believe could account [for] up to half of the purchase price, and we will finance the remainder through borrowing," stated Pender's Facebook post.

The city's oldest pumper was 27 years old when it was decommissioned last month. As a result, the city said its fire services were unable to respond to calls outside Corner Brook.

The remaining fleet is made up of a 1996-1998 pumper, as well as a 2002 ladder truck and a 2013 pumper, Pender said.

He added that the cost would be in addition to the 2015 fire department budget of $3.8 million.

The city has also asked the fire chief to revise the vehicle replacement program submitted to previous council.