The Boston (MA) Fire Department (BFD) Dive Team has a new response vehicle. Its former response vehicle was a 1985 E-One rescue that, when replaced, was reassigned to the dive team. After all the years of service as a rescue and then a dive team response vehicle, it started to have mechanical and suspension problems. Replacement of the dive truck was scheduled in the department’s long-range apparatus replacement plan. But after much internal discussion, the department decided to totally refurbish and rechassis the truck body which saved it time and money. The results surpassed everyone’s expectations.
The department put the new cab and chassis out to open bid and purchased a 2011 International 4400 cab and chassis for $84,379.00. The Dura Star chassis has a large crew cab that seats five comfortably, a 256-inch wheelbase, and is a huge improvement over the old unit.
The job of refurbishing the old dive truck body and mounting on the new chassis was contracted to M and R Truck and Equipment Refinishing, of Whitman, MA. The project included remounting, completely painting and lettering the body, and correcting any damage to the body. The body was completely rewired with new LED lighting and new super bright scene lighting. Every compartment was spray lined with rubberized coating and a new air compressor was installed.
The refurbishment was completed for a cost of $105,959, making the total project cost for the new dive truck $190,338. At that time, we had been given cost estimates for a new dive truck at approximately $375,000. In this case, the refurbishment of the body and remounting on a new cab and chassis made sense and saved the department approximately $185,000.
