The Mehlville Fire Protection District has already taken advantage of its new procurement plan, approving the purchase of a new ladder truck July 6.

MFPD joined the Houston-Galveston Area Council in June, giving it access to a network of companies and cities for the purpose of apparatus procurement. The truck the Board of Directors approved the purchase of is a 78-foot Rosenbauer ladder truck for $1,165,728.

Chief Brian Hendricks said the bid was superior to others received by the district because it included all features the district would need, like a big block motor and front rear axles. Hendricks said if the district took a truck with a medium motor, it would have to pay extra for a replacement due to the level of use it would see. The district has been forced to budget for and stock parts for certain motors because there has been so many issues in the past with wear and tear.

Hendricks said the point of making this purchase now is to meet a need the district will need down the line. The district will not have to pay until the truck is delivered. To combat slow deliveries on new apparatus, the district is moving trucks around between high-volume and low-volume areas.

“Best case scenario, we won’t receive this truck for 24 months. To put it in perspective, the Rosenbauer apparatus we specked and purchased, we were supposed to receive at the end of June and it’s highly likely we won’t see it until December if we are lucky,” Hendricks said.