Plattsburgh Airport Committee Mulls Fire Truck Options
Sep. 26—PLATTSBURGH — Possible next steps for one of Plattsburgh International Airport's aircraft rescue and fire fighting vehicles were discussed at the Clinton County Legislature's Airport Committee meeting Wednesday.
Airport Director Chris Kreig explained how, in August, both the airport's fire trucks experienced issues, with one experiencing a failure on the water pump and the other a failure of its alternator.
According to a resolution approved by the legislature Sept. 8, these incidents occurred within a couple weeks of each other.
Maintenance staff were able to get one of the vehicles back in service. The other, a 1993 Oshkosh, is currently being housed at Company Two Fire in Varnville, S.C., which is leasing a 1994 Oshkosh to the airport for $6,000 a month, the resolution says.
Kreig said Oshkosh no longer supports the parts for the 1993 model, which the county purchased in 2014.
THREE OPTIONS
Kreig laid out three options for how to proceed. The first would be to have Company Two Fire troubleshoot the truck, which he said would cost a little more than $20,000, and see if they can repair it.
The second option is to buy another used vehicle. He said Company Two has two models, years 2000 and 2004, available for $425,000 and $475,000, respectively.
If the legislature chose that route, the company would take the airport's 1993 vehicle on a trade for about $23,000 and sell it off as parts, Kreig said.
Company Two would also subtract the lease amounts for the vehicle the airport is currently renting if they move forward within six months.
SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT
The third option is to buy a new truck, which would cost around $1 million and take about a year to get to the airport, as such trucks are made to order.
Aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) vehicles, are different from those utilized by a typical municipal fire department.
Kreig explained that they are "specialized pieces of equipment designed for the unique challenges associated with responding to aircraft emergencies."
They can carry up to 3,000 gallons of water and 500 gallons of foam.
"They can operate on unpaved surfaces and uneven terrain and can discharge large quantities of extinguishing agent quickly and while in motion to control and extinguish an aircraft fire," Kreig added.
SEVEN MORE YEARS
Kreig explained that the Federal Aviation Administration purchased a new fire fighting vehicle for the airport in 2008. Since the FAA considers the useful life of a truck to be 20 years, the airport is not eligible to receive a new one covered by federal funds until 2028.
"The only way we could conceivably even have that conversation with the FAA is if our primary fire truck failed and we couldn't get it fixed, then we have the conversation with them," he said.
Asked later if he supported any particular option, Kreig said all three have their merits and that the legislature will ultimately make the final decision.
FEDERAL FUNDS
Legislator Robert "Bobby" Hall (D-Area 10), who chairs the Airport Committee, asked about using any of the airport's federal coronavirus relief funds or the $7.6 million that could come down through the Senate-passed infrastructure package to address the issue.
County Administrator Michael Zurlo pointed out that the latter had yet to be passed. Though the other funds could be utilized, he said, the original plan was to use them to fill gaps in the airport budget, replacing revenues like parking and passenger facility charge fees.
Hall expressed concern over buying another used truck, pointing to how the 2004 is already 17 years old, and potentially running into the same problem of not being able to get parts down the line.
Kreig said his firefighters have told him that, compared with the 1993 model, there are many more of that model out in the system, increasing the likelihood that Oshkosh will continue supporting parts.
Since Company Two is giving the airport six months to decide whether it will buy one of the used vehicles, Zurlo advised waiting for a clearer understanding of what is happening with the federal infrastructure package before making a decision.
"That'll provide you with a lot more flexibility in your discussion."
Kreig was asked to look into the warranty for the 1993 vehicle as well as check if Company Two will charge for its storage and whether fixing it would make its trade-in value go up.
Email Cara Chapman:
Twitter: @PPR_carachapman
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