by April Scheinoha
Reporter

It’s a request that Thief River Falls City Council members have heard in the past. At the Public Safety/Liquor Committee meeting, Tuesday, July 13, Co-Fire Chief Rick Beier reiterated the need to replace a 1990 Chevy one-ton crew cab pickup truck with a newer model.

In August 2019, the fire department sought to purchase a 2019 Ford F-350 pickup truck off the state bid list to replace the Chevy pickup truck. The majority of the money had been in reserves for the purchase. At that time, amid concerns about the city budget, the council rejected the purchase by a vote of 2-5 with one council member absent.

Nearly a year later, Beier brought the request to the Public Safety Committee to see if the fire department would be allowed to replace the pickup truck this year. No specific vehicle has been picked out as the possible replacement; however, the fire department would like a new vehicle.

The 1990 Chevy one-ton crew cab pickup truck has responded to car accidents; fires; calls regarding carbon monoxide and smoke detectors sounding; calls requiring the use of a boat or any of the department’s other trailers; yearly maintenance of fire hydrants and extinguishers; and missing person searches.

The pickup truck, which has slightly more than 18,000 miles, has responded to an estimated 3,000 fire calls. Most of the time in those instances, it is used as a support vehicle for hauling hose or other equipment and pumping fire hydrants in the winter.

The department also has a 2000 pickup truck, which is used as a backup rig to respond to grass fires. If the fire department were allowed to purchase a different vehicle, Beier and Co-Fire Chief Marty Semanko would like to replace the 2000 pickup truck with the 1990 pickup truck as the backup rig to fight grass fires. The former pickup truck has nearly 270,000 miles. The 2000 pickup truck would then be provided to another city department or sold to an outside entity.

However, the city budget may mean the fire department will have to wait another year or longer to move forward with its wishes.

“I think we’re going to have some awful, awful budget,” said council member Jason Aarestad. Aarestad, who chairs the committee. He added that the city has been overspending.

While he said he understood the need for a different pickup truck, Aarestad added that firefighters can’t break any laws while responding to fires and they can’t help anyone if they don’t make it to it the scene.

It’s not a luxury, Beier replied.

Council member Rachel Prudhomme serves on both the Public Safety/Liquor Committee and the Budget Committee. She said the city has to buckle down harder on its budget. She added that the city recently got rid of a 33-year-old pickup truck used in another department.

Beier replied that the pickup truck in question is 30 years old and has no antilock brakes or airbags. “I know firsthand what happens in car accidents,” he said.

The aftermath of those crashes has impacted Beier’s personal life. He required his daughter to drive a vehicle with antilock brakes and airbags when she began driving. Beier said he has to send his coworkers in a vehicle without such technology.

Aarestad asked about firefighters responding to fires on their motorcycles.

Beier replied that he drives his motorcycle to the Fire Hall and then to fires in a fire department vehicle.

Beier and Aarestad spoke at length regarding the reasons why they felt a pickup truck may or may not be justified at this point in time. Aarestad referred to the amount of low miles on the vehicle and number of actual fire calls to which the department used the pickup truck to respond to fires. Beier referred to safety concerns about driving and riding in such a vehicle.

Council member Mike Lorenson, who sits on the committee, suggested other ways that the city could fund the potential purchase. He suggested that the city could seek funds through grant programs or GoFundMe.

Prudhomme replied that the city shouldn’t use a GoFundMe account since the company keeps a portion of the funds raised. City Administrator Angie Philipp noted that the city is unable to promote fundraisers.

All of the committee members seemed concerned about the effect of such a purchase on the city budget. However, Lorenson wondered aloud about the city’s liability if firefighters were involved in a broadside accident in a vehicle with no antilock brakes or airbags.

Beier replied that he could have been involved in a crash himself while driving the pickup truck to a crash near Falls Cinema several years ago. He said he was traveling 25 mph on glare ice in a line of traffic. Beier tapped the brakes, which then locked up, and the pickup truck began skating on the icy roadway. No one was driving in the opposite lane of traffic, and Beier was able to regain control of the pickup truck by using that lane and avoiding a collision.

Committee members also raised the possibility of purchasing other types of pickup trucks for the department. Prudhomme said she would rather see if a used vehicle were available or the fire department could use another city-owned vehicle not currently used by another department. Both she and Aarestad noted that the police department recently purchased a used sport utility vehicle from another police department for its use.

Steve Olson, manager of Falls Liquor, told the committee that the city may need to replace the outer sliding doors at the liquor store.

The doors were installed in 1989, said Olson, who noted the doors may or may not continue to operate through winter 2020-21. The city has had trouble finding parts for the door, and few individuals know how to adjust the door anymore. The doors are also installed backwards compared to how doors are installed at this point in time. The track is outside of the doors, so employees have to clean the track during the winter.

If the city continues to have a better year than for which it budgeted at the liquor store, Olson suggested the committee may want to look at replacing the outer sliding doors. He indicated that, in the month of June, the customer count was 17,903 at the liquor store. The doors would have to had to operate double that number to let those individuals into and out of the liquor store. Olson has been told it may take four to six weeks from order to delivery.

Olson was expected to provide more detailed information regarding the lead time to the committee at an upcoming meeting.