Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
The Gary Fire Department will be able to purchase five new fire trucks, following the approval Tuesday by the Common Council.
Fire Chief Paul Bradley told council members the $2.3 million purchase is essential because the typical life of a vehicle is 20 years, and the department currently has seven trucks that are between 17 and 26 years old.
Bradley told the council there also are problems with some of the existing vehicles that they don’t fit properly into the fire stations, adding the issue will not be a problem with the new vehicles.
“We need to replace the apparatus we’re using now,” Bradley said, adding that the old vehicles will continue to be put to use by the department after being moved to the department’s training center on 35th Avenue.
