6 Departments Agree on Single Spec To Save Money Purchasing Pumps
Standardized specifications, combined purchasing, and county-arranged financing have allowed six New Mexico volunteer fire departments to obtain much-needed equipment at a reasonable cost. The involved departments, all in Dona Ana County, took delivery of their apparatus within 11 months after award of bids at a cost of just under $45,000 per unit.
Dona Ana County is in south-central New Mexico and borders Texas and a small section of Mexico to the south. The landscape is arid, high-elevation (approximately 3500 feet above sea level) terrain, cut through the center by the Rio Grande. Extensive irrigation development has made a sizable portion of the county agricultural, however, with small villages scattered throughout.
Four of the six fire departments involved, Radium Springs, GarfieldSalem, South Valley and Dona Ana District One, lie in this agricultural area. The two southern-most departments, Santa Teresa and Sunland, contain a higher percentage of residential development. . In addition, Sunland Park Race Track, a horse racing complex on the outskirts of El Paso, Texas, is located in the Sunland Fire Department’s district and presents a major commercial hazard.
Some of the towns protected by these departments have developed water systems with fire hydrants while others do not. Consequently, the needs of the various departments were diverse and considerable compromise was necessary to agree on a common set of specifications for the apparatus to be purchased.
Common specifications written
Initial steps to procure the rigs were taken in February 1980, when Dona Ana County Fire Marshal David Watts organized a meeting of the six fire departments to determine the particular needs of each, how these requirements could be combined into a single type of apparatus resulting in the lowest possible price, and how funds were to be obtained for the purchase. Some four months and eight general meetings were to elapse before a final compromise was reached.
The specifications agreed upon called for an apparatus with a 750-gallon tank and a 750-gpm front-mount pump. The front-mount pump, perhaps the biggest point of contention between the different departments, was selected not only because of the lower price, but because of the nature of the static water sources in most of the county—namely, irrigation ditches and canals, and the Rio Grande itself. It was decided that the front-mount arrangement would be more convenient for positioning apparatus to reach such sources, in addition to being easier for volunteer fire fighters to maintain and repair.
Another compromise was reached in deciding to equip the units with a two speed rear axle. Some of the departments were mostly concerned with response in smaller areas where speed was not a primary concern, whereas other had considerable response distances and provided coverage to sections of Interstate 10 and Interstate 24 and needed sufficient highway speed. The twospeed axle provided both capabilities.
Two preconnected lines
Other specifications called for two discharges for l 1/2-inch preconnected attack lines in the hose bed and a topmounted booster reel with 200 feet of 2-inch booster line. Hose bed capacity was specified at 1500 feet of 2 1/2-inch hose plus the two 200-foot preconnect lines. Other equipment was per NFPA Standard 1901.
Financing arrangements were made by involving the Dona Ana County government. The county purchasing agent, Bob Wesel, attended the original February meeting and all subsequent meetings, devoting considerable time to providing liaison between the county government and the six fire departments. Once consensus on the apparatus was reached, the Dona Ana County Manager’s Office provided the staff to handle the process for obtaining bids and awarding the contract.
Photo by Bob Lujan
The completed financial terms called for a down payment of $10,000 per apparatus. Some departments had considerable difficulty obtaining the money, and many fund-raising ideas were resorted to by the various groups to provide their share. Raffles, barbecues, enchilada dinners, dances, and refreshment sales at local ball games were among the activities used. One department was able to raffle off a whole beef thanks to a donation by a local dairy in appreciation of the department’s help in assisting at controlled burns of weeds on dairy property.
County arranges financing
The county arranged the remaining financing by requesting bids from a number of lending institutions and choosing the most favorable terms of the respondents. The result was for a payment of the loan over seven years at an interest rate of 9.5 percent, a favorable rate in today’s money market. These payments will be made with funds supplied each department from the New Mexico State Fire Protection Fund, which disburses money yearly to all organized fire departments in the state.
Invitations to bid were mailed in June 1980, and the lowest bidder, B & S Fire Service of Albuquerque (formerly Clark Fire Apparatus) was selected to build the units at $44,950 per vehicle.
The pumpers are built on Chevrolet C7D042 chassis and are powered by a 427 cubic-inch V-8 engine with a fivespeed transmission. Power steering was provided on each of the rigs. The front-mounted pump and pump transmission is a Hale P75-4 centrifugal unit with all controls and indicators grouped on a panel above the pump. A 5-inch intake is provided for the pump, in addition to a gated 2 1/2-inch intake. Tank to pump piping is 3-inch.
