Northampton Fire Department presented its capital improvement plan to Northampton Borough Council Oct. 17. The plan calls for a more rapid replacement of aging vehicles and equipment and improvements and maintenance for the 4 Lerchenmiller Drive fire station, which will allow the station to be more compatible with modern firefighting needs.

Regarding apparatus costs, Fire Chief Keith Knoblach stated the industrywide cost increase is roughly 6 percent each year. By being replaced sooner, the department’s equipment will be more up to date with technology. Replacing an aging vehicle sooner will allow the borough to recoup more money from its sale.

The fire department has reported there have been numerous issues with the 2009 KME aerial firetruck and firefighters have lost confidence with its performance.

The 1999 Freightliner rescue truck is scheduled to be replaced in 2024, after 25 years of service. The 2000 squad vehicle should be replaced after 25 years as well. The 2008 Ford custom vehicle, utilized by fire police, has a replacement date of 2028, after 20 years service. The most recent truck, the 2018 Pierce engine, is scheduled for replacement in 2038, after 20 years of service.

According to Knoblach, the borough will only be finished with seven of 15 years of payments when the next unit will require replacement. Knoblach offered different scenarios regarding payment for the vehicles. He showed how changing the payments on the various vehicles could help in the long term.

Other future needs identified were a second command vehicle ATV for fire and rescue applications along the borough’s trails, costing an estimated $25,000; a second command vehicle, costing approximately $60,000, assigned to the deputy chief or duty officer to be used when the borough has multiple emergency accidents occurring at the same time; and a utility truck to be used during small emergencies and public assistance situations, at an approximate cost of $60,000.

Knoblach reported the fire station needs improvements to keep up with the changing fire service and needs to be made more secure. It was noted the main section of the station is 24 years old.

Some updates include a separate public entrance, a unisex bathroom in the training room, the addition of sleeping quarters in the crew room and improvements to the apparatus floor. It was reported the garage door windows are not energy efficient, and fire gear is potentially being exposed to carcinogens. Building an additional enclosed room would help eliminate the problem.

“The fire department leadership will determine which projects to pursue,” Knoblach said during the presentation.

The department will create an oversight committee to verify the financial feasibility of the projects and create a five-year plan. The committee will meet quarterly to review plans and verify future projections beyond the five-year plan. The oversight committee members would consist of three Borough of Northampton representatives, the fire chief, deputy fire chief, assistant fire chief and one member-at-large.

Knoblach said funding for these capital improvements would come from council adopting a one-mill real estate tax exclusively for the various projects and equipment replacements. One mill in property taxes generates $200,000 in revenue. This would give the fire department an expense cap to manage upcoming purchases and station improvement projects.

Borough Manager LeRoy Brobst said the budget has $134,000 for the operations of the fire department. The two revenue sources would total $334,000 for the department. However, the 2019 budget being prepared by Brobst does not include any of the projected capital improvements in the long-range plan.

“We will mull it over,” council President Anthony Lopsonzski Jr. said.

There was no timetable set for the fire department’s plan to come before the eight-member council for discussion and a vote.

Councilwoman Judy Kutzler, who chairs the council committee on fire and health, and Councilman Anthony Lopsonzski Sr. lauded Knoblach and the fire department staff for the presentation.