The Hall County Board of Commissioners voted to purchase a number of new fire apparatus at their meeting Thursday night, upgrading fire services' fleet in an effort to provide the best emergency response to citizens.
Hall County will now order the eight new pumper trucks and the one new ladder truck, which will have to be built and then delivered to the County in approximately 10 months.
"These new pieces of apparatus will allow us to deliver more reliable emergency services to the citizens of Hall County, while reducing our maintenance costs and out-of-service times," Hall County Fire Chief Chris Armstrong said. "Newer fire trucks experience less mechanical problems, which reduces downtime and allows emergency responders to respond quickly when needed."
The new apparatus also provide new technologies such as low voltage LED lighting systems, additional compartment space for life saving equipment, hearing protection, intercom systems for firefighters and environmentally friendly clean diesel engines.
"We believe the new apparatus will not only keep our firefighters safer but also allow us to continue to deliver best-in-class service to our citizens for many years to come," said Armstrong.
The purchase of the new pumper trucks is being paid for out of Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) VIII, and the purchase of the new ladder truck is funded by SPLOST VII. More than $178,000 in savings is being realized by the County for prepayment of the apparatus.