New Elmhurst Vehicle To Save City Money: Officials

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst plans to buy a new vehicle that is expected to save the fire department a lot of money, officials said Monday.

In a unanimous vote, the City Council approved buying a rescue squad vehicle for up to $260,000.

Its purchase is designed to reduce the use of the department's two ladder trucks, which are more expensive and less fuel-efficient.

One of the ladder trucks was expected to last 20 years. But it may only be half that, needing to be replaced in 2028, according to the city.

The average cost per mile for the rescue squad is $1.20, compared with $5.05 for a ladder truck, the city said.

By using a rescue squad instead of a ladder truck for medical calls, the city is projected to save nearly $13,000 a year in maintenance costs and extend the life of the ladder trucks.

The rescue squad will carry emergency medical equipment, similar to what is on ladder trucks, the memo said.

"Within our fire fleet, the ladder truck has some of the highest purchase costs, is one of the most expensive to operate and one of the busiest fire vehicles in the county," Alderwoman Marti Deuter told the council.

The city, she said, needs the size and capacity of a ladder truck for structure fires.

"But of the calls it responds to, approximately 70 percent are EMS related rather than for fire suppression," she said.

Mayor Scott Levin said the council has been reimagining the fire department, thinking of ways to be innovative.

"We have a new chief," Levin said, referring to Bill Anaszewicz. "I congratulate you for coming up with a very timely idea."

At a meeting in November, Elmhurst aldermen pondered ideas to scale back the fire department, saying they wanted to reflect today's needs.

One alderwoman said she and several of her colleagues believed the city had too much fire equipment.