The Independence Township Fire Department has successfully sold two of their old rescue units.
Springfield Township purchased Rescue Unit #2 for $55,001. The unit is six years old with 18,234 miles and 2,175 engine hours.
The Lewiston Volunteer Fire Company in Minnesota purchased Unit #3 for $37,001. Unit #3 is almost 10 years old with 32,400 miles and 4,782 engine hours.
These sales are just one step in an upgrading process the department is currently handling. According to Fire Chief Steve Ronk, the department has been slowly replacing their rescue vehicles with EMS units. So far, the department has acquired four EMS vehicles over three years.
?(The rescues) were licensed transport vehicles, but in the end they were trucks on truck chassis,? said Ronk. ‘We consciously made the decision that our vehicles need to attend to the patient’s comfort as well as their health and safety.?
The department still owns a third rescue vehicle. Originally, Chesterfield Township put in for the unit, but removed their bid from the process in the end.
Chief Ronk stated he will not ‘aggressively get rid of? the unit at this time. Instead, he plans to use the vehicle to carry the department until a new heavy rescue unit arrives. The unit is 10 years old with 29,876 miles and 4224 engine hours.
‘We’re going to buy one heavy rescue soon,? explained Ronk. ‘Those assist in incidents that require more than we currently have, like incidents on the expressway involving buses, semis and such. We are currently finishing the specs on that one.?
The Independence Township Board voted unanimously at the Nov. 16 regular meeting to finalize the sale of both rescue units.