Teton County weighs $667,252 bid for new Wilson fire engine

Teton County commissioners will consider awarding a $667,252 bid to Front Range Fire Apparatus for a Type 1 Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) engine, the lone bid Fire/EMS received through the Public Purchase system. Staff recommend approval. The engine, a stock Pierce Responder Freightliner 4x4 unit, would replace Engine 21, a 2010 Freightliner at Station 2 in Wilson, and is sized for the narrow roads in that response zone, including Fall Creek, Fish Creek, Indian Paintbrush and Red Top. Because it's a stock unit already in production, delivery is projected for March 2027, more than two years faster than a custom order, and at an $82,748 (11%) discount to custom pricing, according to the staff report.

The purchase accelerates spending originally planned as three annual $250,000 contributions toward a fiscal 2029 delivery; instead it would draw most of the $730,000 fiscal 2027 capital apparatus allocation in one shot. Staff say the tradeoff eliminates capital liabilities in fiscal 2028 and 2029, freeing those funds for scheduled ambulance and tender replacements. The old Engine 21 carries an estimated $100,000 resale value that would offset the final cost. The bid also includes an exception: the lightbar quoted is red and white rather than the red, white and blue the county specified, with color changes available for an added fee after inspection.

The record shows no earlier Board of County Commissioners action on this specific engine purchase.