The City of Swift Current is going to have to pay extra for a new fire truck, after some regulation changes. 

The City will have to pay an additional $258,529 for its newest fire truck. While the original order was approved for around $1.3 million, this additional money comes at the heels of new requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency. 

Greenhouse gas emissions regulations have caused the truck order to change, altering the agreed price set in 2023. In order to combat this, the Swift Current Fire Department and the North Battleford Fire Department put in a bid together for a pair of similar trucks, reducing the cost for each slightly. One truck will go to each City. 

Swift Current Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief, Dean Diguer, was at city council last night to break the bad news and to make a recommendation on how to proceed. 

"This joint venture did allow for a reduction in pricing from the manufacturer, however, the new quote has increased over the 2023 budget approval," said Diguer. 

Diguer recommended that the City authorize the use of the Equipment Replacement Reserve to fund the additional cost. City council voted in favour of this plan. approving the ordering of the truck.

Additional details were shared about the truck. The trucks being produced today are actually too big for the bay doors at the Swift Current Fire Department Fire Hall. So, in order to accommodate the existing infrastructure, the new truck will be slightly smaller to allow it to safely park in and depart from the bays. 

The fire truck it will be replacing, Engine Two, will be past its maximum available service life of the engine shortly. 

Two submissions were received by the City for the replacement of Engine Two. The first was from Commercial Emergency Equipment Co. for $1,594,000. Given that this offer expected a four-year build time, it was rejected.

Instead, the City has elected to pursue the submission from Rocky Mountain Phoenix Rosenbauer. This truck will cost a total of $1,558,000 and is set to arrive in 2026 after a two-and-a-half-year build time.