By DAVE SCHULTZ
Mike Wilbur of Emergency Vehicle Response wasn’t sure how he would be received at Tuesday night’s special meeting of the Bluffton Common Council.
After all, when he first made contact with the Bluffton Fire Department in January, he sidelined four of the department’s newest vehicles for being overweight.
While the situation has been somewhat rectified — two of the vehicles were still under warranty and were returned to the manufacturer — Wilbur understands that the department is struggling with the vehicles in its fleet.
Tower 1, the department’s aerial truck, is now down for maintenance as tires and hydraulic cylinders are replaced.
Wilbur prides himself in being blunt, being quick to quote the signature statement by the Joe Friday character in the old “Dragnet” TV show — “just the facts” — he knew a lot of what he was bringing to Tuesday night’s meeting wasn’t exactly what anybody wanted to hear.
For instance, the standard age that a fire truck should be retired is 20. The average age of the BFD’s fleet is 15.5.
When the newer vehicles that have since been removed from the fleet are omitted from the calculation, the average age of the fleet is more than 20.
Wilbur, who heads up EVR, found some silver linings in what otherwise would have been a dark cloud.
First, he said, the problems with the overweight vehicles were found before there was a crash — which could have had disastrous consequences, for firefighters in the vehicles and for anyone sharing the road with them. “If you drive an overweight truck,” he said, “eventually the dice are going to come up snake eyes.”
Also, the equipment problems have shown the determination of the Bluffton firefighters to maintain what they have to the best of their ability. Wilbur had high words of praise for what he saw.
“They have taken excellent care of the equipment,” he said. “I assure you, without that care, your 30-year-old tower and your 25-year-old engine would not have made it this far.”
Wilbur said a second fire station was a requirement. He even said a bay in a new fire station could be used for vehicle repair, and that the city should hire a mechanic for that purpose.
Wilbur’s presentation Tuesday night was attended by representatives of the city and Harrison and Lancaster townships — the three entities that comprise the new fire district served by the Bluffton Fire Department. He was rather forthright about getting good equipment from good manufacturers going forward.
To be sure, one of the three trucks the department had to keep out of service was built by a local vendor — and it was considered an error. The other two, however, were built by a company that Wilbur didn’t have high praise for. He said there were vendors that take advantage of fire departments, such as Bluffton’s. He referred to them in terms relating to the snake-oil salesmen of years gone by.
Paying for high-quality equipment will pay off down the road, lowering maintenance costs, Wilbur said.
Wilbur’s report was the only topic of discussion during the special council meeting Tuesday night.
During the meeting of the city’s Board of Works Tuesday, the board members — Mayor John Whicker, Scott Mentzer, and Josh Hunt — heard the results of a study conducted by Brad Adler about the city’s transformer capacities. Adler has been a consultant to the city on electrical matters. He will advise the board further, particularly on the Cherry Street substation.
daves@news-banner.com
