THOMASVILLE — A Thomas County commissioner is of the opinion that another fire truck is not needed if it will not help taxpayers.

Commissioners purchased two extrication/rescue trucks, a tanker and an ambulance at a board meeting last week. A motion to pursue bids on another tanker was withdrawn.

The motion withdrawn by commission Vice Chairman Elaine Mays was to seek bids — not to exceed $40,000 — on a tanker for the Ochlocknee fire station.

Commissioner Ken Hickey, chairman of the commission purchasing committee, said the board was supposed to buy one tanker for Coolidge.

“I got there, and there are two fire trucks on the agenda,” Hickey said in reference to a purchasing committee meeting the day before the commission meeting.

The tanker being eyed is in North Carolina and has been viewed only in photographs, Hickey told the Times-Enterprise.

Hickey said fire trucks at Meigs and Barnetts Creek fire stations are available for use by Ochlocknee.

Also, he pointed out, the $40,000 discussed for the truck purchase would have to be borrowed.

“We do not need to add another truck to the fleet if it’s not going to help taxpayers. We don’t need more toys,” Hickey said.

Commissioners approved the purchase of two extrication/rescue cabs and chassis at $28,026.10 each from Roy Campbell Chevrolet. The local bid was the low bid.

The trucks, which have 6.6 diesel engines, will go to Ochlocknee and Coolidge stations. The vehicles, which are not budgeted, will be paid for from the emergency services fund.

“We’re going to mount the bodies off the two old trucks on the cab and chassis,” said Mike Stephenson, county manager.

The vehicles will replace Fords with 6.0 diesel engines, which the county manager described as “the problem.” The Ford trucks are not suited for emergency missions, Stephenson added.

The same situation occurred with Ford ambulances, he explained.

“We could not get satisfaction from Ford Motor Co. on repairs on these engines,” Stephenson said.

GMC vehicles do not present the problem, he added.

Commissioners voted last week to purchase a GMC 4500 Series ambulance from Taylor Made, an Arkansas company, for $117,125.17, the low bid.

The ambulance, which will be delivered early next year, will be budgeted in 2010. The vehicle will replace a 1999 ambulance with about 200,000 miles.

Also, the board OK’d the purchase of a 1991 GMC tanker with a custom 3,000-gallon tanker for $75,000, the low bid, from Good Hope Fire Apparatus in Cullman, Ala. The purchase is to replace a tanker that was totaled in a wreck.

The tanker will be funded with impact fee revenue.

Chris Jones, county fire chief, said his agency has 37 trucks. “And they’re older trucks,” the county manager interjected.

The trucks have to be addressed annually, Stephenson said, and the truck tabled at the meeting last week will have to be dealt with this year.

Thomas County has six full-time fire stations and 10 volunteer stations.

Don Baggett, county shop supervisor, said fire trucks are serviced twice annually or every 3,000 miles.



Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 220.