SMITHS FALLS — Smiths Falls council has approved the purchase of a fire tanker from the Township of Rideau Lakes.
The decision was made during the March 2 committee of the whole meeting.
The town will pay $16,000 for the tanker, plus $281.60 in non-rebateable HST, for a total of $16,281.60.
The purchase follows the termination of an automatic aid agreement between the two municipalities that dates back to 2005. Under that agreement, Smiths Falls provided fire protection services to a defined portion of Rideau Lakes in South Elmsley Ward.
The agreement also included a joint contribution of $35,000 from each municipality toward the purchase of a used tanker truck.
Rideau Lakes notified Smiths Falls in December 2024 that it intended to terminate the agreement effective Dec. 31, 2025, in accordance with the 12-month notice requirement.
Under the terms of the agreement, both municipalities obtained independent evaluations to determine the value of the tanker.
The estimates varied widely. Evaluations obtained by Smiths Falls ranged from $3,500 to $5,500, while Rideau Lakes estimates ranged from $35,000 to $38,500.
Smiths Falls fire Chief Rick Chesebrough told council the department needs the tanker to maintain fire protection in areas without pressurized hydrants until a new tanker is purchased.
Chesebrough said he and Chief Administrative Officer Malcolm Morris discussed the agreement and the large disparity between the two municipalities’ quotes.
“Unfortunately, the agreement did not contain any parameters that you have to have specific companies come in and evaluate it,” he said.
He noted that Rideau Lakes followed the criteria in the agreement for the quotes, which he described as “extremely vague.”
To ensure the town maintains adequate fire protection until a replacement vehicle arrives, Chesebrough said the municipality agreed to purchase the tanker for $16,000.
“This is going to ensure that we’re not going to be without a vehicle,” he said. “We’re not going to be short on protection.”
Coun. Chris McGuire questioned why the town was paying the full evaluated price rather than half.
Morris said the decision stems from the original agreement approved by both councils, which required the purchasing municipality to pay the evaluated value of the vehicle.
Coun. Peter McKenna asked whether the town was obligated to purchase the tanker from Rideau Lakes.
“Could we not pay them out?” he asked. “Wait for our new tanker and then give it back?”
Chesebrough said the town asked Rideau Lakes whether it would consider leasing the tanker until the new vehicle arrives. However, Rideau Lakes proposed a lease rate of $1,200 per month.
He said the math did not make sense, particularly if delivery of the new tanker takes up to a year. In that scenario, the town would also lose the opportunity to use the vehicle as a trade-in.
Morris added that the agreement “was somewhat silent on the timing.” He said Rideau Lakes interpreted the clause to mean the tanker should return to one of its fire halls immediately once the agreement ends.
Council approved the purchase using funds from the tax base reserve.
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