By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                A new fire engine and an initial attack firefighting vehicle are being purchased by the Bronson Town Council to beef up Bronson Fire Rescue’s ability to battle fires.

            Bronson Town Council members voted unanimously Monday to purchase a four-wheel-drive fire engine that can reach rural fires on sandy roads at a cost of $341,000. The engine will also have the ability to suppress fires with foam.

            Fire Chief Dennis Russell is also working on purchasing an initial attack vehicle with firefighting capabilities and cargo space to carry equipment for assisting with Emergency Medical Service calls.

            Russell and Assistant Chief Gail Foote said they may be able to reduce the cost of the initial attack vehicle by remounting the existing body on a new frame. The cost of using that approach would reduce the cost to about $100,000, but buying the truck new would cost about $170,000.

            The town expects to pay for the fire engine and first attack vehicle by financing the purchase over a period of 10 to 12 years using county commission fire tax funding and city funds to repay the loan. The town hasn’t chosen a lending facility to finance the purchases.

            Bronson Fire Rescue has been using old firefighting vehicles for years. Repair costs are high and the vehicles have broken down from time to time.

            County commissioners agreed to annually fund $25,000 of the cost of purchasing the firefighting vehicles using the county fire assessment, and the town agreed to pay the same amount from town tax revenue, according to Foote and Russell. Any additional costs above $50,000 will come from town revenues.

            The town council has hired Nabors, Giblin, and Nickerson to research a fire assessment that could be imposed on town residents and businesses. The study, which is in progress, will determine how much revenue would be produced by the fire tax and how much residents would be assessed on their property tax bills.

            When the Tallahassee firm completes its study, it will present its findings to the town council. The council will hold public hearings to take input on whether residents want to pay additional taxes for fire protection.

            If the fire assessment is approved, and there is no certainty it will win approval by the council, the money generated by the tax would no doubt be used to contribute money toward funding the two additional firefighting vehicles.

            Bronson isn’t the only city purchasing firefighting trucks. The Chiefland City Commission recently purchased a fire engine for $501,604. The United States Department of Agriculture gave the city a grant of $263,300 to help purchase the engine. The city’s share of the cost was $238,304.

            “We couldn’t have afforded it without the grant,” said City Manager Laura Cain in an interview.

            The City of Williston has applied for a grant to purchase a new squad truck, according to Fire Chief Lamar Stegall.

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Town of Bronson Regular Meeting January 24, 2022; Posted January 27, 2022