Proposal for electric fire rig moves forward to finance committee

Jan. 22—SUPERIOR — An architecture and engineering services contract for the renovation of Superior Fire Station 3 will move forward to the full City Council in February following unanimous approval by the Public Safety Committee Thursday, Jan. 18.

In other action, committee members voted to send a request to purchase an electric fire engine to the Finance Committee.

The renovation project for station three, in Superior's East End neighborhood, includes roof replacement, mechanical and electrical upgrades and a 500-square-foot expansion. The $79,900 engineering contract is based on an estimated project cost of $750,000. If the budget for the project increases, an additional 13% of the budget increase would be assessed. The remodel is one of the discretionary projects proposed in the

city's 2024 Capital Improvement Plan budget

.

Superior Fire Chief Camron Vollbrecht said they chose OPN Architects, whose head office is in Minneapolis, over LHB based on the firm's extensive experience working with fire stations, including their work on stations that remained active.

Both Superior's station two, which was built in 1981 and station three, which was built in 1982, need renovation. The project would include a more modern heating and ventilation system and the ability to pressurize the living space. Adding a second bathroom, if the budget allows, would cut decontamination time in half after incidents and attract a more diverse crew.

"We had no women on the fire department in 1982. Right now we have about twice the national average for crewed fire departments," Vollbrecht said.

Ninth District City Councilor Mark Johnson asked why they decided not to renovate both stations at the same time.

"I think station two is going to involve a lot more than what we're doing with station three. Station three itself is in a much better condition," Vollbrecht said. "Also, the idea of getting one done and then working on the other — less of an interruption to our crews."

Solar power would not be an option at the East End station because there is no phase three power close enough to connect to, Vollbrecht said.

The chief also lofted a proposal for the purchase or lease of a Rosenbauer RTX electric fire rig. The engine, similar to one that

fire department members tested out in November

, is fully electric with a small-range extender diesel engine to charge the battery. It has the same capabilities as a traditional diesel engine in a smaller, more nimble package. The rig weighs roughly 11,000 pounds less than a diesel rig, is nearly 10 inches narrower, has a 47-foot turn distance and comes with 360-degree camera and all-wheel drive. Solar power generated at the fire station would fuel the truck, saving the department roughly 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel and up to 75 quarts of oil per year.

With a roughly two-year build time, Vollbrecht said the rig would be slated for completion in 2026. The new addition would bump engine three, built in 2011, to reserve status and the department would take the current reserve engine, which was put into operation six months before Vollbrecht started with the department in 2006, out of operation.

The electric rig, which comes with a five-year warranty, would cost just about $2.1 million, nearly $1 million more than a diesel rig. The proposal was sent to the Finance Committee to determine how the new truck would be paid for and whether the savings and functionality would outweigh the initial cost. A $50,000 down payment would be needed at the time of the order.

In his department report, Vollbrecht gave a recap of 2023. The run volume went down from a record 4,433 calls in 2022 to 4,279. A change in how the department responds to fire alarms led to 1,164 fewer calls on fire engines compared to 2022.

The department now responds to medical calls with smaller vehicles — an electric Ford 150 Lightning and a Ford Tahoe. Halfway through January, Vollbrecht said, there had been 100 calls on the two smaller vehicles.

"If we keep that pace the rest of the year, we'll be over 2,000 (fewer) runs on our fire trucks than we were in 2022," the chief said.