Following up on its acquisition of two new ladder trucks delivered in June, the Baltimore City Fire Department will be purchasing four new pumping engines.

The Board of Estimates has signed off on a $2,151,604 order of Pierce DASH engines that firefighters say are essential to keep the city’s fleet ready to respond to emergencies and keep crews safe. Separately, the board allocated $600,000 for parts and service of the department’s aging Seagrave apparatus, signing a three-year, sole-source agreement with Interstate Truck Equipment.

The four new engines are being acquired through a cooperative purchasing contract with fire departments in Maryland and Texas, which the city says lowers the unit cost of the equipment through larger orders. The city earlier waived competitive bidding for the purchase.

Among fire apparatus there is a strict division of labor. Pumping engines establish water connections during a fire and advance the hose lines, while ladder trucks (or tillers) are responsible for reaching the upper floors of a burning building for rescue and ventilation.

The city’s fleet of 31 engines and 17 trucks dates back to the late 1990s. As a general rule, equipment should be replaced about every 10 years.

Delivered Trucks Not Yet in Service

Upgrading the fleet was a top priority of James S. Clack, who resigned last month after five sometimes tumultuous years as fire chief.

The Rawlings-Blake administration has begun a nationwide search for his successor through Gans, Gans & Associates of Plant City, Florida. (The executive search consultant receives $14,000 per search, plus travel expenses.)

Trucks 20 and 29 were accepted by the city in June to replace two almost 20-year-old tillers. However, neither truck has yet gone into service.

(UPDATE: A source told The Brew this afternoon: “Truck Company 29, serving Northeast Baltimore out of the Cold Spring Lane Fire Station, has been using three different reserve trucks in the past two months. The former first-line truck is being used for spare parts before it’s scrapped.

(“As of last week, Truck 20 is still sitting at the Biddle Street repair shop with no equipment mounted on it. 29 has recently started the process of having tools mounted.”

(Asked when the trucks will become operational, department spokesman Ian Brennan said, “Soon. Equipment is being installed. Some brackets need to be specially fabricated for our equipment.”)

Here is a description of new Truck 29 recorded in June when the truck was accepted:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgdqbte8HpY