When most of us think of Texas, we think big—big land mass, big population, big
steaks. You get the picture. In the case of fire apparatus purchases, the city of Houston has been making big purchases from Ferrara Fire Apparatus for several years, greatly modernizing its fleet.
The Houston Fire Department (HFD) took delivery of 11 engines in 2005; seven 107' aerials, three engines and two high-pressure pumpers in 2006; seven engines, two 107' aerials and two hazmat vehicles in 2007; and nine engines and two 107' aerials last year.
Apparatus Replacement
Like most large cities in the United States, the HFD began as a volunteer department. In 1838, the onestation Protection Company No. 1 was created; it operated by itself until 1859, when two more stations were created. The city operated with volunteers for 57 years.
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Houston began paying its firefighters in 1895. Today
the HFD is the fourth-largest fire department in the United States, serving more than 2 million people within 616 square miles.
The HFD replaces apparatus on a regularly scheduled
basis. “We typically don’t run our vehicles into the ground or wait until they fall apart,” says Jack Williams, assistant chief of Support Services. “But like most departments, we have to take our budget into consideration when we decide on a large order. Our usual fleet replacement consists of engine companies serving 10 years in front-line service and 3 years in reserve, and our truck companies 12 years front-line and 2 years reserve.”
The HFD also takes into consideration response stats when Determining which companies get the newer vehicles. The busiest companies get the brand-new rigs, and then they are handed down to less active companies after updates and repairs are made. “This way there are no politics involved,” Williams notes.
Bidding & Speccing
After the HFD develops the specs, the city’s “buy board” handles all the bidding. “They handle all of the vendors and then tell us who we can purchase from, abiding by all laws and keeping it straight,” Williams says.
