GENTRY — Engine repair for Gentry’s largest fire truck was approved at a special council meeting on April 18.
The engine lost power, froze up and quit in Gentry’s largest hook-and-ladder truck - No. 2232 - while responding to the recent house fire on Arkotex Road, Mayor Kevin Johnstontold the council. Johnston said he was hoping to avoid the need for a special council meeting, but the estimated dollar amount to complete the repairs exceeded the fire department’s budgeted $15,000 line item for truck repair and maintenance.
According to Johnston and Gentry Fire Chief Vester Cripps, the large hook-and-ladder truck was first towed to Springdale, but the diesel mechanics there said they couldn’t work on that particular engine - a two-stroke, inline six-cylinder Detroit Diesel - so the truck had to be towed to another diesel shop in Tulsa, Okla., to determine what was wrong and the cost to repair it.
Cripps said he received a verbal estimate from the shop in Tulsa for parts and repair of approximately $18,000.
One of the truck engine’s pistons froze up because a cracked head allowed water to enter the cylinder, Cripps said.
Cripps also said that, because the fire truck was built around the truck chassis, engine and transmission, it was necessary to work on the engine from underneath the truck rather than dismantling and removing the truck’s cab, which would require many more hours of laborand an even greater expense.
The truck, recently purchased by the fire department, had been completely refurbished, except for the engine itself, Cripps said.
“There were no warning signs,” Johnston said. “I was on the way to the call, and it lost power and quit,” he added.
The department’s secondhook-and-ladder truck had to be called out to fight the house fire. Unlike the truck which broke down, the second truck requires firefighters to pull hoses up to the bucket in order to spray water on the fire from above. The truck which broke down had the capability of applying water on a fire in a multi-story building without placing firefighters in the bucket and in close proximity to the fire.
“Both (hook-and-ladder) trucks have the same height capability,” Crippssaid, “but the application capabilities of the truck which broke down are far greater.”
With council members Kyle Jordan and Todd Wagner unable to be present at the special meeting, the remaining council members unanimously approved the repair.
“We’ll have all but a new engine when the repairis done,” Cripps said. He also said the repair work would have a warranty but did not provide warranty details.
Of concern to councilman James Furgason was whether the head would be replaced or welded. He said if there were weaknesses in the head, he would hate to see it crack in another place after the repair.
Cripps said he didn’tknow if the repair estimate included a new head or welding the old. Councilman Jason Barrett said he thought the repair would almost certainly have to include replacing the head.
Since no guaranteed estimate was given, the council approved making the repair and will adjust the budget as needed at the end of the year.
Money to cover the engine repair will come from money saved in the fire department budget from the $185,000 gift from AEP/SWEPCO for the fire department. $165,000 of that money was used to retire early the loan on the fire department additions completed in 2008, freeing up money which had been budgeted for loan repayment.
News, Pages 1 on 04/25/2012