Excerpts from the journal-topics.com:

When the Park Ridge Fire Department’s tower ladder was irreparably damaged during this summer’s fire at the Marathon gas station, Fire Chief Jeff Sorensen asked to fast-track ordering of a replacement truck, which was scheduled to happen in the next fiscal year anyway.

It takes a year to get a fire truck built, and Sorensen’s efforts to order in 2019 were blocked by the Finance Committee from choosing a sole source provider.

He and the finance department are now seeking approval, officially, to have the city join the Houston-Galveston Area Council, a Texas-based buying cooperative which specializes in detailed analysis of fire department trucks. The request, for joining to get access to detailed specifications from various companies, was approved unanimously by the six council members attending Monday, Dec. 2.