New fire truck part of expanding city fire service

BOERNE– A new pumper truck is set for delivery to the Boerne Fire Department in November 2025 after City Council approved a $1.25 million purchase for the fire department during its June 27 meeting.

The $1,249,931 bid for the Pierce-Custom Velocity triple combination pumper from Siddons-Martin Emergency Group, LLC includes four days of training on the apparatus, which will be delivered in roughly 41 months.

The truck’s arrival will coincide with the future opening of Boerne Fire Station No. 2, projected to be built in the next couple of years – part of the city’s effort to beef up its fire response as the city continues to grow.

“This fire engine will be the primary response unit responding out of that (new) fire station,” Fire Chief Manny Casarez told council.

The current fleet includes a 1995 fire engine that Casarez said is past its normal life expectancy and will be replaced by the new purchase.

The 24.9-ton vehicle fea- tures a 565 horsepower Cummins engine capable of a top speed of 68 mph.

“Allowing us to get this resolution tonight will lock in the price for us,” Casarez said. “We’ve already had an extension on it, so tonight we’d like to get that locked in.

“Within the next two budget cycles we will be working on the actual funding for this, and we’ve got a couple options available to us,” he added.

Getting the process started now, he stressed, will also be in alignment with the building of fire station No. 2, “We’re trying to get this truck into that station.”

If the new truck is going into fire station No. 2, District 3 City Councilman Quinten Scott asked, “Are we looking at another fire truck purchase in the next few years, on top of this?”

“Yes,” responded City Manager Ben Thatcher: “We’ll have a lot of fire department investment over the next several years, both with adding firefighters – three a year for the next several years – and getting adequate equipment.

“We have a lot of old equipment, and staff does a phenomenal job of maintaining old equipment,” Thatcher said. “But there’s newer technology and needs, so we’ll have a plan that’s part of that budgeting goal, long-term planning and multi-year consideration.”

Council voted unanimously to approve the purchase.