For City Council Meeting June 10, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Tanya Williams, City Manager
AUTHOR: Brian Park, Fire Chief
Title
Request City Council to: (1) Approve the Purchase of Two Smeal - REV Group Type I Fire Engines, Equipment, Modifications, and Installation of Emergency Equipment for a Total Cost of $2,905,542.55, and (2) Authorize the City Manager to Execute All Documents.
(ACTION)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Approve the purchase of two (2) Smeal Type I Fire Engines, Equipment, Modifications, and Installation of Emergency Equipment from Rev Group Inc. and, through Sourcewell, in the amount of $2,905,542.55; and,
2) Authorize the City Manager to execute all documents.
BACKGROUND
The Rialto Fire Department depends on a reliable fleet of fire apparatus to maintain emergency response readiness. The current fleet includes eight fire engines: four frontline and four reserve units. Many reserve engines are critically aged and have reached the end of operational and technological service life, meaning they no longer meet current performance standards, safety features, and cost-effectiveness expectations for frontline emergency response. Two of these units are recommended for immediate replacement:
* Type I Engine F091 - 21 years of service with 152,480 miles
* Type I Engine F093 - 20 years of service with 197,385 miles
Both units scored "F" under the APWA Fleet Replacement Guidelines, indicating immediate replacement is necessary due to age, maintenance cost, and operational reliability concerns.
The purchase of two new Smeal Type I Engines will enable the department to reassign newer frontline engines into reserve status and decommission F091 and F093, due to each receiving failing APWA grading.
This purchase marks a strategic change for the department, which for over two decades has exclusively purchased Pierce fire engines. However, due to ongoing challenges with Pierce, including:
* ...
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