The Orillia Fire Department is making a deposit on a new, 110-foot ladder aerial truck before the end of the month, but it won't be delivered before 2030.
"It's crazy how long it takes to build fire trucks these days," said Orillia Fire Chief Chris Ferry. "They are a specialized vehicle and they take longer to build."
There are only a handful of companies that manufacture aerial fire trucks in North America and there is a high demand for them, he said.
"We just have to get in line to get it ordered and get it built."
City council has approved the purchase through its fleet replacement budget for 2027. Pierce Manufacturing, of Wisconsin, has been chosen to make the truck that has a retail price of $2,873,814.
The high price reflects the engineering and materials in the truck as well as the "higher price of everything these days," said Ferry.
However, Orillia is getting $180,813 off, so its price will be $2,693,001. Ferry explained Orillia is getting discounts through membership in Canoe Procurement and by making instalment payments.
"It saves the municipality a lot of money," he said.
The 10 per cent down payment is $269,300 and is coming out of the fleet and equipment asset management reserve.
"Failure to remit the required deposit by this date would result in the loss of the secured pricing and could increase the total purchase costs by at least $180,812.60," reads the Feb. 13 council information package.
Currently, the Orillia Fire Department has one aerial truck, three pumper trucks, one rescue truck and one fire boat, said Ferry.
In four years, the city's aerial truck will be 20 years old, which is considered end of life for the vehicle, he said, so the new one will simply replace the old one, and the city will continue to have one aerial vehicle.
The new truck will function like the old one, but the ladder will be 10 feet longer, and the truck will have a larger water tank and the latest technology in its parts.
"With newer and tall buildings in the city and proposed for the future, it will help us get a little higher. It will allow us to reach and rescue people off of balconies or people stuck on roofs or even to get above the fire," Ferry said.
"At the downtown fire last year, we had our aerial truck and one from Rama and one from Ramara, and that allowed us to get above the fire and put water in through a roof or an upper window of a fire."
With a larger water tank, the new truck will be able to also function as a back-up pumper if one of them breaks down, said Ferry.
"It will have all the up-to-date electronics, engine and transmission components and equipment on it," he said.