Anchorage approves $1.23 million for two fire tenders to replace aging trucks

The Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday approved buying two new fire tenders, the fire department's water supply trucks, for up to $1.23 million. It passed without objection.

The new trucks will replace Tenders 8 and 9, which work out of Stations 8 and 9 and are more than 25 years old. That's past the 25-year service limit the National Fire Protection Association recommends for safety, according to a fire department memo, as Alaska News reported Oct. 15.

Each new tender will carry 2,000 gallons of water and pump 750 gallons a minute.

Delivery is expected within 600 days of the order, or roughly 20 months, the department says. In July, the Assembly took up a Rosenbauer pumper engine with a 900-day delivery estimate.

The tenders cost $613,332 each, 15% below the manufacturer's list price under a national purchasing cooperative contract, according to the Assembly memorandum. Anchorage Fire Service Area bonds will pay for them.

The department plans to evaluate the old tenders for possible reserve duty.