Commerce hopes new fire truck will arrive by the fall

The Commerce Township Fire Department received the green light from the Board of Trustees on Tuesday, May 10 to accept a bid from Sutthun Corporation to replace the department’s current aerial ladder truck.

The township’s current ladder truck dates back to 1986, when it was first donated to the fire department by DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital. While the truck still looks “sharp for its age,” according to township Supervisor Tom Zoner, the truck is also “somewhat outdated.”

“This (new) truck will have a mid-mount aerial platform that’s a 100-foot to replace our current apparatus which is over 25 years of age,” said Fire Chief Joe Schornack.

According to Schornack, the total cost of the new truck will be just shy of $1 million at $962,471, the majority of which will be covered by federal grant money.

The department recently received money totaling $681,048 from a federal Assistance to Fire Fighters grant with the stipulation that the township match 10 percent of the grant money.

Another provision of the grant stated that the fire truck must be purchased by next January.

However, that doesn’t seem like it will be a problem as Schornack said the department will begin making arrangements to purchase the truck this week.

“They will most likely start working on the truck next month, so we should have the truck in the latter part of the fall. Under the conditions of the grant, we don’t have to take delivery of the truck until January so we have plenty of time,” he said.

According to Schornack, members of the fire department and a special committee were instrumental in helping the department earn the grant.

“I just want to give special thanks to the truck committee for their time and effort and to Firefighter Mark Gall who applied for the grant,” he said.