Heather Wright/The Independent

Warwick Fire will be getting a new rescue truck.

Council gave the green light for the purchase June2.

In a report to council, Chief Brad Goodhill says the current rescue vehicle is 25 years old and needs to be replaced.

A committee including Goodhill, the deputy chief, the captain and a firefighter have been researching the best options for a number of months.

They’ve worked with two Canadian manufactures to design a rescue vehicle to serve for another 20 years.

“We’re using all Canadian content as much as we can,” the chief told council.

Goodhill recommended purchasing the truck from MetalFab from New Brunswick.

“MetalFab is the most spacious to meet our needs,” he added.
Council had been building up savings for the vehicle. There is $240,000 in reserve and council allocated another $200,000 in the budget.

Goodhill’s report says nearly $400,000 left over from the Watford Fire Station remediation plan is also available to pay for the new rescue vehicle.

That means the township has up to $840,000 to purchase the vehicle. Right now it’s estimated to cost $765,000.

Council agreed to use up to $840,000 for the purchase however Councillor Wayne Morris suggested if it comes in under budget, the remaining cash would be returned to the fire equipment reserve.

The rest of council agreed.

It can take more than a year for fire vehicles to be constructed. It’s not clear how long it will be before the new Warwick vehicle would be available for use.