An agreement was signed today to purchase a new primary fire engine for the Town of Cochrane, averting a substantial price increase.

To stave off a price increase of $50,000 or more on Nov. 30, last night town council agreed to add the $250,000 required to finalize the deal. The additional funds for the capital project were taken out of reserve and will have no impact on the 2023 property taxes.

Based upon letters of intent, the price will be $1.25 million, Stacey Loe, town executive director of Protective and Community Services, told council. If not, it would have climbed as much as another $100 K by the time a new agreement was reached.

"At this time, administration is recommending that council increase the capital project by no more than $250,000 that will allow us to secure the bid that we've received, and proceed with the start of the build for this engine," she said.

The town has included its purchase in a long-term master fleet plan for 15 years and was originally penciled in at $800,000. That price increased to $1 million in 2020. With the world economy shifting and correlating supply chain impacts, it has since hit $1.25 million and climbing.

"We've had it in the replacement schedule for quite some time," Loe told council. "It has been shifted a number of times to try and push it out, but we've definitely reached a point where it's time we bring in a new engine," said Loe.

Upon delivery, the town's current secondary unit will be decommissioned. Before being sent to auction, Cochrane Fire Services will repurpose everything they can from it.

"We have undertaken every cost-containment strategy that is available," she said. "There are no additional bells or whistles with this particular piece of equipment."

The current secondary unit was put into service in 2003, when the town had a volunteer fire department, and has 63,000 km. It is often used as a frontline responder when the primary fire engine is out of service.

Still, it will be some time before Cochrane Fire Services receives the new engine. It is anticipated to have a two-year time build.

The town's current primary fire engine was delivered in March 2011 and is now entering its 11th year of service with 105,000 km. Currently, it doesn't respond outside of Cochrane limits for support requests from contracted municipalities. Instead, the second-line engine is sent.

When the new fire engine is commissioned, the current primary engine will become the secondary unit.