By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
As part of the Great Bend Fire Department vehicle replacement plan, the staff implements a plan so that aging equipment is replaced before it becomes unreliable for emergency response and while the vehicle has trade-in or resale value.
GBFD has an apparatus committee to evaluate equipment and put together the specifications to replace a 2009 brush truck. Fire Chief Brent Smith said the committee recommended purchasing a new truck from Hays Fire Equipment.
"We did receive three bids, all of them met the minimum specifications," said Smith. "This is the low bid. We have worked with Hays Fire Equipment with repair work. We felt like they were our best option for this truck."
Delivery of the truck is expected in approximately 365 days. The Fire Department is still waiting on the arrival of $436,000 fire engine that was purchased in March 2023 from a different company.
"Used to be you could put a penalty in the contracts if the company did not deliver it on time," said Smith. "Nobody will do that since the COVID pandemic. They cover their own bottom line."
The Great Bend City Council approved the purchase of the 2025 Ford F550 brush truck from Hays Fire Equipment for $195,253.