Chief: New BCFD Truck Costs $1 Million
You've heard the old saying "when it rains, it pours". That's the way Battle Creek Fire Chief Dave Schmaltz feels after a string of challenges has the department replacing a wrecked fire truck and rerouting calls that would have come into Station 1 downtown.
A fire call in December 2016 ended up with a Battle Creek fire truck sliding down Washington Avenue on icy pavement. The truck ended up on its side, totaled. Schmaltz tells WBCK the department will take delivery of a new truck soon - at a cost of just less than $1 million.
And that cost is for an off-the-lot truck which is not a custom model, build specifically for the department. That, Schmaltz said, would have cost about $100,000 to $200,000 more. And, order to delivery, Schmaltz said it could take as long as a year before a new truck is rolling on Battle Creek streets.
Schmaltz said insurance will cover about $443,000 of that cost, after a payout for the totaled truck.
In addition, the department has dealt with other aging vehicles in need of repair, including two with cracked frames.
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