This contract is for the procurement of two Fire Engines/Pumpers equipment and either one truck or rescue vehicle from Sutphen Corporation in an amount not to exceed $4,500,000. The current fire fleet of heavy apparatus will not currently support two additional stations with apparatus less than 15yrs of age. SFD replaces fire apparatus now under the new replacement schedule from 2016, reaching their end of service life at 10yrs.

The primary purposes of a fire apparatus are transporting firefighters, water supply, and carrying equipment for a wide range of firefighting and rescue tasks. These tasks involve firefighting operations, hazardous material, and technical rescue. Features of a fire apparatus include the following:

• ability to move through rough terrains
• large water tank capacity
• a high-capacity pump to flow water through the fire hose
• water/foam
• high-capacity monitors
• 100’ boom ladder
• extends out and down to a -12* angle to work below grade
• perform technical rescues
• vehicle extrication
• confined space searching
• dive team search and rescue
• structural collapse
• high-angle rope rescues or recovery
• other tasks assigned during firefighting procedures under fire operations

The fire department strategically locates apparatus in the central response districts to allow for rapid response to all types of calls. Due to the rapid growth and annexation of land under new development, there is a need to add fire apparatus in the south-west areas of Savannah and Hutchinson Island.

The new fire apparatus will also be designed to limit potential contaminants from the crew area, reducing a firefighter’s chances of developing cancer. They are designed with in-cab clean air technology devices to circulate and clean the air neutralizing carcinogens. These new apparatuses will allow equipment to be stored in newly added external compartments on the cabs. This new fire apparatus order will help Savannah Fire support the City of Savannah’s (COS) Strategic Initiatives to ensure citizens feel safe in their neighborhoods. It also helps Vehicle Maintenance continue standardizing the fire fleet by streamlining preventive maintenance, allowing technicians to be trained on a specific apparatus, stocking common parts, and reducing downtime. The current sales vendor, Williams Fire Inc., also helps support our mission by keeping local service support technicians immediately available for SFD and COS to call upon at any time. No other vendor offers this and they prioritize SFD as a fleet customer due to its size and call volume. 

The funding for these apparatuses is identified within the ARPA fund of $4.5 million proposed by City Council in the 2022 budget review under fire department service increases in newly annexed areas. Fire apparatuses are typically ordered before the years they are to be delivered because they are built to specification and not available to buy from a vendor on command. Currently, there is an industry delay due to backlogs in the supply and delivery chain, as well as an increase in materials and cost due to quarterly inflation increases. The expected delivery date for new orders is estimated at 36-40 months, but they must be ordered before March 1, 2023, to avoid increased time delays and production increases of 6-8% quarterly through 2023. Per the vendor sales agreement, no payments will be required by the City of Savannah until the delivery of the apparatus. There is no money due upon order; it allows COS to lock in pricing and avoid annual increases of 18-20%. Upon approval of this recommendation, COS would save $150,000 per apparatus this year. The expected arrival date is late 2025 or early 2026.

The aging fleet is becoming unreliable and would place the community at risk by not having proper equipment available to respond to incidents. If these fire apparatuses are not ordered, the aging fleet of fire apparatuses costing more to maintain will be all we have to place into operation in new stations. The delays in new apparatus will push out past four years and pricing will be two or three times higher to cover production. This procurement was made through a cooperative purchasing agreement with Sourcewell for Firefighting Apparatus. Cooperative purchasing is authorized as an appropriate procurement method in Division 10 Section 4-4152 of the City of Savannah’s purchasing ordinance. The contract number is 022818-SUT and it expires on February 10, 2026.


C.C           Sutphen Corportation (Dublin, OH)(D)           $4,500,000

A pre-proposal meeting was not conducted as these goods are being procured through the use of a cooperative purchasing agreement. (D) Indicates non-local, non-DBE business.

Local available: No
Total sent: 1
Total received: 1

Approval