Red Bank Looks to Purchase New Fire Engine

Red Bank took the first step towards securing a new fire engine for its volunteer fire department with the approval of an ordinance on first reading Wednesday during its council meeting. The ordinance includes the appropriation of $1.1 million – $1.045 million of it to be bonded – for the acquisition of a new truck.

Borough Administrator Stanley Sickles said the new engine will be housed at the Navesink Hook and Ladder on Mechanic Street. The company’s current truck is outdated and failing, Sickles said, with a malfunctioning aerial ladder that apparently cannot be replaced or is not worth replacing.

According to the borough website, Hook and Ladder currently employs a 2000 American LaFrance with an aerial ladder. The 2000 model engine was built by American LaFrance between 1986 and 1994. Sickles said he doesn’t believe the engine can be sold to another department for regular use in its current condition, though it may yield some financial return for the borough through salvage. How much the truck is worth, in any condition, is not yet known.

The process will not be a quick one, however, as the bid and engine building will take anywhere between 200 and 300 days to complete, Sickles said. As is often the case, Red Bank will also consider used fire engines – used trucks obviously come with a discount – that may be available to replace the current one.