The Moncton Fire Department requested an extra $110,000 this week to pay for a new fire truck it has on order.

Deputy Fire Chief Don McCabe said the floundering Canadian dollar is the main reason for the unexpected increased cost.

"Most of the custom truck manufacturers are all based out of the United States," he said.

On February 15, Moncton City Council was asked to vote on a change to a request for proposals for the latest model of a custom single axle fire truck.

The original budget for the new truck was $750,000 Canadian plus HST, which was the established cost in 2014, when the Canadian dollar was almost on par with the American greenback.

Council voted in favor to increase the amount it had originally budgeted.

For more information, view www.cbc.ca

FWD Seagrave has expanded sales and service in the state of California to strengthen response capability for past, current, and future customers.

Charlie Zuercher has joined Seagrave and will be linked with the California-based sales team of Jim Demattei and Adrian Anderson. This team has a combined experience of more than 100 years in fire service operations and fire apparatus sales, with particular expertise in the California market. This, coupled with the robust Seagrave service centers of Fire Apparatus Solutions, SoCal Fleet, West Coast Frame, and West-Mark, encompasses the entire state of California. Customers can be confident that a qualified Seagrave representative is close by to serve their needs during and after the sale.

“Seagrave is committed to making it possible for fire departments to serve their communities with the safest and highest quality equipment available,” said Seagrave Chairman & CEO AJ Neiner.

FWD Seagrave designs, engineers and builds its own aerial apparatus and custom chassis in a variety of models to meet the significant demands of a diverse customer base. Products include: custom chassis, pumpers, tankers, rescues, hazmat, aerials, tractor-drawn aerials, platforms, Aerialscopes, and commercial wildland and brush trucks. Belmont Fire Protection District’s new 1500 GPM Pumper is an example of FWD Seagrave’s best-selling Marauder II.

Seagrave also has a significant refurbishment business including the capability to re-chassis and rebuild aerial units, restoring them, operationally, to better than original. Hayward Fire Department in California recently took delivery of a refurbished Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicle for use in responding to Hayward Executive Airport (HWD), a key airport for San Francisco Bay area business and events.

“Seagrave quality provides a high lifetime value,” concluded Neiner. “Safety, durability and longevity translate to low maintenance costs and a low cost of ownership over the lifetime of a Seagrave fire truck that can last 20+ years, and this has been proven in the most demanding fire departments in the Nation.”

Seagrave, founded by Fredric Seagrave in Detroit in 1881, is the oldest manufacturer of fire apparatus in the United States. Otto Zachow and William Besserdich founded FWD Corporation in Clintonville, Wisconsin, in 1909. It became a premier manufacturer of severe-duty vehicles and produced America’s first all-wheel drive vehicle. In 1963, FWD and Seagrave merged and consolidated all operations to Clintonville, Wisconsin. FWD Seagrave has a longstanding tradition of excellence providing the safest, longest service life, and most durable heavy-duty vehicles to the U.S. Military and municipal governments.

More: www.fwdseagrave.com