Sartell Council Approves Purchase of New Fire Engine

(KNSI) – The Sartell City Council approved a plan at Monday’s meeting to buy a new fire engine at a cost of $900,000.

The vehicle won’t be available until the fourth quarter of 2025 at the earliest, but Fire Chief Peter Kedrowski tells KNSI News it makes sense to lock in delivery now because new federal regulations are on the horizon that add uncertainty to the mix in 2027. “I was around in ’08 when the new emission standard came in for fire trucks and saw the aftermath of that, really the shortening of service life of the trucks. I really just have a personal rule, don’t buy the first year of new emissions.”

Kedrowski likens it to buying a vehicle in the first year after a model change and having to deal with recalls as the manufacturer is forced to make changes on the fly. He says engines have to be built for emissions standards first and then worked in to connect with the transmission and other drivetrain components. He says there is a bit of trial and error.

Another factor is cost. The same engine was quoted to Kedrowski for $780,000 in November of 2022 and was only $650,000 in 2021.

Kedrowski says the long lag from order to delivery has been a problem for his department and others within the city since the start of the pandemic. “The lead times haven’t slowed down since COVID. Supply chain issues and now with public safety aid coming in, I think that is going to accelerate some of these last couple purchases.”

Federal aid accounted for 95% of a new tender truck for Sartell. The specialized equipment brings water or foam to crews at the scene of a fire.

The current truck is 33 years old and lacks many modern safety features. Kedrowski says with the new vehicle, they’ll need new equipment as well. The council’s approval gives the department $51,000 for everything from axes to extrication equipment.

Kedrowski says he hopes to get the department on a schedule where vehicles would be in use for 25 years before being retired. He is also exploring coordinating vehicle purchases with neighboring departments to get better prices.

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