McMinnville Fire Department could be getting two new firetrucks at a cost of $877,886. The measure received committee approval and needs city board acceptance.
Safety Committee members Mike Neal, chairman, and Ken Smith voted in favor of the purchase, while Alderman Rick Barnes voted against it.
The city went out for bids on a quint and an engine. A quint is a fire service apparatus that serves the dual purpose of an engine and ladder truck, while an engine is a multi-purpose vehicle carrying firefighters and equipment for a wide range of firefighting and rescue tasks.
Bids received:
• Rosenbauer —  engine $318,967 and quint $558,919, total cost of $877,886
• Ferrara — engine $320,891 and quint $544,440, total $865,331
• E-One — engine $363,430 and quint $611,760, total $975,190.
McMinnville Fire Chief Keith Martin presented the various features that each company offers, pros and cons, and a desire by the firefighters for the city to accept the bid from E-One.
Martin recommended Rosenbauer as the lowest and best bid.
“Morally and ethically, just because the guys want E-One, I can’t recommend them. They are too high priced,” said Martin. “If we are trying to do our due diligence and spend taxpayers’ money efficiently, I recommend going with Rosenbauer because of the safety devices on the apparatus and the price.”
Barnes made a motion for the city go with the low bid, meaning Ferrara.
Neal questioned, “Are we doing them one at a time or as a pair?”
“I would recommend one at a time, but you could do it either way,” said Alderman Ben Newman, who was in attendance but is not a Safety Committee member.
Smith stated he preferred the safety features offered by Rosenbauer.
“I agree that Rosenbauer is what we need, but it’s not the low bid when you combine them together,” said Smith. “I would like to structure a motion not to say the low bid.”
Smith added the city bid the trucks together in an effort to be a package deal at a lower price.
“When we talked to these people, we talked to them about a package deal. All of them told us you get a better deal with a package deal,” he said.
Barnes’ motion failed due to lack of a second, and Smith recommended the city go with the bid by Rosenbauer on both trucks. The motion passed with Barnes voting against it.
Funding for the purchase will come from local option sales tax recovery money obtained from the city’s lawsuit with the county.