Kinston council to consider next step toward purchase of new fire engine
Kinston City Council is expected to consider authorizing city staff to obtain contract pricing through Sourcewell for the purchase of a new fire engine.
Fire Chief Chad Jackson said a department fleet committee formed in January 2020 has been studying the fire department’s apparatus needs, including age, mileage, hours, maintenance costs, downtime and parts availability. He said the committee’s work is intended to help guide both current and future fleet decisions.
Jackson said the council has already approved one new E-One fire engine that is in production and expected to be delivered in 2028. Staff is now requesting authorization to purchase a second fire engine through Sourcewell, a cooperative purchasing program that allows municipalities to use competitively bid national contracts rather than conducting a separate full bidding process.
According to the memo, the proposed purchase would replace a 1993 fire engine that is already beyond its expected service life. Jackson wrote that by the time the replacement arrives, the existing unit would be 37 years old. He said replacing it would improve emergency response reliability and safety.
Staff is asking council to authorize the city manager to purchase one fire engine through the Sourcewell cooperative purchasing program from Fire Connections Incorporated, an E-One vendor, in an amount not to exceed $990,000.
