Callander Fire and Emergency Services is getting a new pumper fire truck.
The truck is scheduled to arrive between December of this year and March, 2027. Battleshield Industries, based in Vars, Ontario, is building the truck for the municipality on a Freightliner M2 106 Plus chassis.
All in, the vehicle will cost $777,192.00, around $68,000 less then the other manufacturer’s bid. Two companies bid on the sale. Last fall, as Callander was in the preliminary stages of drafting its budget, the fire department suggested council include a new pumper truck within the 2026 budget.
Fire Chief Todd Daley, in a report to council on June 30, “The replacement is included in the Municipality’s 20-Year Fleet and Equipment Replacement Plan and will help ensure the Department maintains a safe, reliable, and operationally effective fire fleet.”
The current truck has reached 20 years of service. Chief Daley noted, “Many of the truck’s components, including the exhaust system, cab assemblies, and electrical harnesses, were custom fabricated. Replacement parts are becoming difficult to source, and many original equipment manufacturer parts are no longer readily available.”
“As a result, even routine repairs can require custom fabrication or alternative sourcing, increasing both repair costs and time out of service,” the Chief added.
Last fall the East Ferris fire department also received a new pump truck manufactured by Battleshield Industries. The truck has a stock commercial cab with a Detroit engine and an Allison transmission and can pump 1,250 gallons of water per minute. It holds 1,400 gallons of water. Callander’s new truck will have similar specifications.
East Ferris’ truck cost $736,715 plus HST, and the municipality took out a long-term loan for the purchase. When the new truck rolled into the garage last Halloween, Fire Chief Steph Amyotte said, “It’s a great machine, it’s fantastic. We went all out with this one, and it will definitely meet our needs.”
During Callander’s council meeting, Chief Daley acknowledged “It is a hefty price for a vehicle, considering 20 years ago we bought the vehicle for about $260,000.” The current truck will also be sold on GovDeals, a site selling surplus government assets to the public. The money from that sale going into a reserve for future replacement costs.
When the last tanker truck was sold, it went for $18,000 the chief noted.
He added that the department also has a 20-year fleet management program, which aims to spread out vehicle purchases to every five years. The next pump truck replacement—the department has two—is set for 2031.
“That will buy us time to increase reserves to purchase the truck,” the chief added.
Besides the two pumpers, the department has a tanker truck, a support vehicle and Rescue 1, which is a pickup truck. The municipality had budgeted $815,000 for the purchase of the new pump truck. As the new truck is under budget, that budget money will remain in reserves to use toward the next vehicle purchase.