Purpose of Report: The purpose of this report is to review the bids received by the Stillwater Fire Department for the Special Operations tractor and trailers.

Background: The City Commission approved in this years budget the purchase of a Special Operations Unit for the Fire Department. The function of the Special Operations vehicle is to improve the specialized rescue and hazardous materials response capabilities of the Stillwater Fire Department. The Special Operations Unit is designed to respond with Rescue One and extend the capabilities of firefighters to handle technical rescue situations and chemical emergencies.

The Special Operations unit is a tractor-trailer configuration. The Special Operations unit will have two trailers that are fully enclosed and designed for specific purposes. This arrangement has several attractive features. First, if more equipment is acquired over time for any of the rescue disciplines and the trailers become overloaded, a new larger trailer can be purchased and brought on line without the purchase of a new truck to pull it. Second, the arrangement allows for each trailer to carry specialized equipment for specific incidents. The first trailer would be equipped to handle special rescue situations such as trench rescue for those trapped due to collapsing of trenches or ditches, high angle rescue of persons above ground level, confined space rescue of persons trapped in smaller confined spaces such as manholes or other restricted areas, and swift water rescue. Special rescue situations are very dangerous to the emergency response personnel and the victims. Many firefighters have lost their lives due to attempting heroic efforts without the proper equipment. It is critical that the firefighters arrive on the scene quickly with the proper equipment to attempt the rescues. The second trailer would be equipped to respond to hazardous materials incidents to contain the release of dangerous chemicals and other harmful substances within the community as well as those being transported through Stillwater by means of highways, railways, and by aircraft. Additionally, this trailer will carry equipment to address domestic terrorism involving chemicals or biological agents. Firefighters responding to assist the Police Department with terrorism type incidents will be able to enter the area, assess the threat to determine if it is a real emergency, and provide guidance to the Police Commanders in controlling the area or evacuation zones.

Before reviewing the bids for the tractor and trailers it is important to note that the balance of this project will be used for the specialized equipment for the trailers. Additionally, a major part of the work configuring the trailers will be done inside the Fire Department by the Fire Mechanic. Once the trailers are configured to store the equipment the process of bringing the units on line will begin.

Bid Notices for the vehicle were sent to the following bidders:

Bid Notices for the enclosed trailers were sent to the following bidders:

*NOTE: The enclosed trailers were bid with three different options listed below:

Bid Notices were sent to possible bidders on March 20, 2001.

Bid Notices were advertised in the Stillwater NewsPress on March 25, 2001

Bid Openings were on April 9, 2001 at 3:00 p.m.

The purpose of having two separate trailers is to eliminate the possibility of contaminating the rescue equipment when responding to hazardous materials incidents as well as to reduce the overall length and weight of the trailers. The tractor and trailers will be equipped with a mini 5^th wheel hitch system to allow easy hookup by one person. Common equipment used by both operations (rescue and hazardous materials responses) will be stored on the tractor to reduce costs of duplicating equipment such as self contained breathing apparatus, generator, air monitoring equipment, etc.. Even though the Special Operations vehicle is primarily designed for special rescue situations, it can be used as a backup rescue unit for automobile extrication in the event that Rescue1 is busy on another response or temporarily out of service for mechanical reasons.

Budget Impact: This item requires no new appropriation or budget amendment and should not affect year-end projected balances. The project is budgeted at $250,000 dollars. The remaining balance (approximately $184,000) will be used to outfit the truck, trailers, and purchase specialized rescue equipment.

1. Award the vehicle and trailer bids to the lowest bidders, as follows:
   Vehicle: Frontier International Trucks - Tulsa, OK for $47,824.93

Trailers: Swinford Trailer and Equipment - Morrison, OK (Option #1 - both trailers) for $17,556

2. Award the vehicle and trailer bids to alternative bidders
3. Re-bid the vehicle and trailers

Recommendation: Fire Administration recommends Alternative #1

Recommended by:

___________________________

Carl Weinaug

City Manager