The Mehlville Fire Protection District is changing up how it procures high-cost apparatus after deciding to join the Houston-Galveston Area Council June 8.

The HGAC is a government-to-government cooperative used for purchasing big ticket items like ambulances and other trucks. Several other nearby fire districts like Crestwood and Fenton are a part of the cooperative.

Joining is at no cost to the district and allows it to collaborate with all other participants.

“Typically what we have done is gone out to bid … The purpose of this would be to streamline and increase the efficiency for the procurement of apparatus,” Fire Chief Brian Hendricks said.

The system allows MFPD to request an item and quickly see all the costs from each different manufacturer, as opposed to a 30 to 60 day back and forth. Hendricks said it was important to make this change because the district will have to purchase new breathing apparatus and ladder trucks soon.