Fire Engine Refurbishment

Program Description 

This project was approved by the City Commission during the May 3, 2022 Regular Meeting - The City of Great Falls purchase three brand new Pierce Enforcer Fire Engines in 2004.  These engines, while reliable equipment, are nearing the end of their service life and are in need of repairs in order to remain in operation.  Great Falls Fire and Rescue contacted the manufacturer and secured a proposal to have these three engines refurbished to like new condition for $1,299,337.00.  According to the offer, Fire and Rescue would transport the first engine to Appleton, Wi. (the home of Perce's service center) for service in 6 months.  Once service is complete, the first engine will be returned and the second transported.  It is anticipated that all three vehicles will be fully refurbished within 24 months.

Why this matters

 A Fire Engine is the central workhorse vehicle of a Fire Department's vehicle fleet.  They are dispatched on calls for fires, medical emergencies, auto accidents, and numerous other contingencies.  Allowing these vehicles to approach decrepitude would potentially impose a sever limitation on the Fire Department's capacity to respond to emergency situations across Great Falls.

How is this eligible?

The United States Department of the Treasury allows local governments that lost revenue (i.e. lost taxes, utility payments, etc.) during the COVID-19 pandemic to use ARPA funds, up to the amount of revenue lost, for government services.  This category is extremely discretionary and allows for funds to be used for any service traditionally provided by a government.  Treasury’s Final Rule allowed local governments to claim a standard allowance of $10 million in lost revenue.  The City of Great Falls (which did not experience financial losses during the pandemic) took this standard allowance and may spend up to $10 million of its total allocation to pay for its traditional government services.