Maple Ridge is upgrading its firefighting force and it doesn’t come cheaply.
Council approved spending $596,154 last week to buy a new fire and tanker truck from Hub Fire Engines of Abbotsford, and another $1,585,925 for a new tower truck that is fitted with a ladder.
The first new truck will replace a 1992 model based at Fire Hall No. 3 on 203rd Street.
The fire department and city considered three bids in the process and found that Hub Fire Engines offered the best value.
The second more expensive truck will be bought from Smeal Fire Apparatus of Nebraska and replaces a 1996 tower truck based out of Fire Hall No. 1.
The tower truck, to be delivered in January 2018, is the only such vehicle in the firefighting fleet and is used at large structure fires.
The fire department is trying standardize the chassis and body styles of its fleet in order to improve efficiency and reduce costs.