The 2026 Michigan state budget plan recently approved by the state House of Representatives includes $2.3 million for a new Waterford fire station, gophouse.org reported.

The plan is to replace Waterford’s Fire Station No. 2, which is more than 70 years old, outdated, and structurally unsound.

The building suffers from major issues, including asbestos, mold, failing HVAC and electrical systems, and frequent sewer backs up. It is also undersized and lacks proper storage and decontamination space, which is needed to reduce exposure to cancer-causing chemicals and harmful materials.

Staffed 24/7 by four firefighters, the station is no longer sufficient for current needs. It does not provide separate sleeping quarters for male and female staff, and the garage no longer has adequate space to accommodate the fire trucks.

Because expansion is not feasible due to a nearby sewer line, the township plans to sell the current station and build a new facility on vacant township owned property. The new fire station will serve as a first-response hub for residents of Waterford Township and Lake Angelus, and as the first backup from Waterford for Independence Township and Pontiac. The station also covers Auburn Hills, Springfield Township, and the Oakland County International Airport.

It took considerable effort to get this funding included in the budget plan. The House budget includes just under $100M of earmarks, a sharp drop from the approximately $1 billion in pork barrel spending typical in recent years. That’s because the House GOP cut most earmarks in order to eliminate waste and free up money for road funding. The earmark requests that made it into the budget are for projects that address critical infrastructure and public safety needs.

To that point, Harris successfully argued that the spending is for necessary public safety infrastructure, and that it will benefit multiple communities, justifying the state’s involvement.

“This is a public safety issue for multiple jurisdictions,” Harris said. “From a logistics points of view, the station location makes it a very needed resource for surrounding communities, so it’s for more than just Waterford.”

The total cost of building a new station is estimated at $11 million; the $2.3 million from the state will help defray that cost and lessen the burden on local taxpayers.

The post MI State Budget Plan Includes $2.3M for New Waterford Fire Station appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Ryan Boldrey
mlive.com
(TNS)

SOUTH HAVEN, MI — If you’ve ever wanted to purchase a fire truck, now might be your chance.

South Haven Area Emergency Services is auctioning off one of the first two trucks the department purchased after SHAES was established in 1996.

The department is selling a 1998 Spencer Mfg. pumper tanker with just 30,000 miles on it. The 26-foot, FL-80 freightliner features an 8.3-liter Cummins engine, 1,800-gallon poly water tank and a Hale 1,250 gallon-per-minute pump.

It even features a painted Yosemite Sam, the fire department’s mascot, on its side.

The online auction is live now and open to the public at municibid.com. It ends at 3:26 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9. All proceeds will go back into the department’s capital purchase fund and be put toward a new apparatus, as well as some EMS equipment upgrades.

The Spencer truck is fully operational and ready to go to work immediately, said Brandon Hinz, SHAES executive director.

While it would be perfect for a small, rural or volunteer fire department, it could also be retrofitted and repurposed as a work truck for a construction business, landscaping company or the like.

“This is one of those vehicles that would probably make more sense to leave it as it is,” Hinz said. “But you could easily tear the whole back end off and turn it into a flatbed truck or into a straight truck for hauling, and you are going to get years and years of service out of it.”

There are no emissions requirements on the truck, which is also a big deal, he said.

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The truck was purchased new for $160,000 in 1998 and would cost about $600,000 new today, Hinz said. He hopes to fetch around $65,000 for it.

“I think it’s worth more than that but looking at comparable apparatus online that’s about what I’ve seen asking prices for,” Hinz said.

One thing that sets this truck apart, he said, is that most fire apparatus tends to be customized, and this one has not been modified much at all. That gives it broader appeal.

“It would make a good tanker or engine for a department that may not have a lot of capital reserves,” he said. It’s in perfectly good shape. We would love to keep it, but it’s just approached that age where it’s a more feasible use of our taxpayer money to purchase something new in the next couple years (to avoid potential maintenance costs).”

The department purchased another new truck last year and after bringing it online earlier this year, took the ’98 offline.

Everything on the ‘98 is up to date or grandfathered in. If the truck were to be repurposed and modified it would need to be brought up to spec, Hi