City Council approves bids for BSFD equipment

Mayor Robert Moore, right, reads a proclamation proclaiming Oct. 17-21 “Chamber of Commerce Week” in Big Spring. Moore presented an official copy of the proclamation to (from left) Big Spring Area Chamber of Commerce President Michelle Hamlin, former president Kayla Jo Nichols, and Director Debbye Valverde

By ROGER CLINE Managing Editor
Big Spring Herald 
October 12, 2022 at 05:43PM

The Big Spring City Council awarded bids on several items for the Big Spring Fire Department during its meeting Tuesday evening. The items included a fire truck, an ambulance and a pair of electrocardiogram (EKG) monitors for the department's Emergency Medical Services branch. Each bid on the items was approved unanimously by the council.

The fire truck approved by the council was bid by Fouts Bros. Fire Equipment through their LaGrange, Texas, office. According to a memo from the company's sales representative to BSFD Operations Chief Jay Holt, the truck offered by the company is a “stock pumper,” and carries a price tag of $588,758, fully equipped. The Fouts Bros. bid was the second-lowest bid. Lowest was a bid of $562,602 from Metro Fire Apparatus of Mansfield, Texas, but it was for the truck only and did not meet the specifications required by the bid process, according to Fire Chief Craig Ferguson. The $588,758 price tag is less than the $610,000 budgeted for the item. According to the company memo, the truck should be ready in January of 2023.

The ambulance approved by the council was bid by Southern Emergency and Rescue Vehicle Sales (SERVS) of Comanche, Texas, for $405,891.31. The Fire Department has budgeted $410,000 for the ambulance. According to the company, the ambulance should be available during the first quarter of 2023.

The bid on the two EKG monitors was received by the city from Zoll EKG of Chelmsford, Mass., with a price of $55,755.08. The city has budgeted $65,000 for the equipment. According to a memo from Ferguson to City Manager Todd Darden regarding the purchase, the Fire Department currently uses Zoll EKG monitors, and the new monitors will fit in well wtih the department's current equipment.. The monitors will be delivered during the first quarter of 2023.

Tuesday's meeting started with the call to order and invocation, followed by the pledges to the U.S. and Texas flags, led by local Boy Scout Oliver Bias.