Image: M. Vanden Bosch / PML / Popkum Fire Department is set to replace its aging 1999 Freightliner engine with a new Spartan FC-94 apparatus.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Popkum Fire

Popkum Fire Department set to replace aging fire engine with new $565K apparatus

Aug 4, 2022 | 9:06 AM

CHILLIWACK — It’s out with the old and in with the new, but it won’t happen overnight.

Fraser Valley Regional District District Board of Directors passed a motion at its meeting on July 28 that paves the way for a new fire apparatus to replace a 23-year-old Freightliner fire engine used by the Popkum Fire Department.

More specifically, the FVRD board voted to award Fort Garry Fire Trucks as the preferred proponent in a request for proposal to buy a Spartan FC94 engine for $565,815 plus applicable taxes.

Image: Supplied by Spartan Emergency Response / Popkum Fire Department will be replacing its 1999 Freightliner engine with a Spartan FC-94 apparatus, similar to what is shown above.

The purchase price will be funded from Popkum Fire Department’s budget and paid in two instalments, the first coming this year and the next in 2024.

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Popkum Fire Department’s 1999 Freightliner is 23 years old, an FVRD staff report noted, and is past the expected life of a fire engine and could represent a liability if it is unable to perform when required.

The engine had been granted a five-year extension of the gradable life through Fire Underwriters Survey; that extension is set to expire in 2024. Beyond that point, however, the aging engine would not meet the fire insurance grading and fire protection classification, the staff report indicated.

Popkum Fire Department responsibilities have increased due to population increases, mutual aid agreements, road rescue incidents, and other emergency events in its service area.

The department spent significant time researching the ideal engine that would suit the area’s needs. In response, the vendor, Fort Garry Fire Trucks, submitted an apparatus that could meet the department’s needs.

Fort Garry Fire Trucks submitted a proposal for two fire trucks that met the mandatory requirements of the request for proposal, one of which was awarded for Columbia Valley Fire Department and was brought to the FVRD board in June.

FVRD staff supported the request for proposal based on the critical need for a reliable fire engine that ensures Popkum has adequate fire protection.

The new fire apparatus is set to arrive in January 2024.