TAMRMS#: B05
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BUDGET INFORMATION REQUEST (BIR) - Brush Truck 7 Replacement Project Charter (FIRE 035)
Requested by: Councillor Hughes
Date of Request: November 6, 2025
Date Response Due: November 13, 2025
Confidential: Partially - Report: No; Attachment: Yes
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QUESTION
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If the Brush Truck 7 Replacement Project Charter (Fire 035) is approved, what are the plans to repurpose the truck? How old and what is the approximate mileage of the truck? Is there any opportunity to repurpose it to meet the needs Emergency Response Unit, and if so, what would be cost to retrofit it.
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RESPONSE
If the Brush Truck 7 Replacement Project Charter is approved, the existing 2019 Chevrolet 2500 truck (currently well-maintained with approximately 35,000 km) presents a strong opportunity for repurposing, rather than selling the low-mileage asset, as it could be converted into a dedicated Emergency Response Unit (ERU) / Community Response Unit (CRU).
In terms of the merits for the use of an ERU/CRU, Administration believes that there may be efficiencies and longer-term cost savings opportunities if this type of unit were to be utilized instead of deploying a Fire Engine for Medical First Responses.
The concept is that deploying a smaller, more agile $200,000 vehicle for Medical First Responses will reduce the wear, tear, maintenance and increase the life expectancy of the more expensive $1,000,000 vehicle, at the same time as providing as good if not better response times and service. Administration sees this as a tool that can be deployed in the right circumstances without an increase to approved staffing or service levels. These types of units have been successfully converted and deployed in other municipalities.
Transforming the vehicle from a brush/fire response vehicle into a medical response unit requires conversions that would focus on structural modifications for secure equipment storage, enhanced visibility, and medical kit integrat...
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