The Fleet Management Division provides vehicles and equipment for all City of Miami Beach Departments and divisions. In coordination with the various departments, Fleet Management develops a list of replacement vehicles and equipment which is submitted for funding approval during the City’s budget process each fiscal year. Replacement considerations are based on a combination of factors that include age, condition, maintenance/repair/collision expenses and operating environment. The list of replacement vehicles and equipment as well as any new vehicles and equipment submitted by a department as part of a service level enhancement initiative, are subject to approval by the City commission during the annual budget process.
Upon approval of funds, the City has historically pursued the purchase of Fire Rescue vehicles through a competitively awarded contract by the Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA). The FSA competitively awards a Fire Rescue Vehicles contract yearly, based on the requirements of public safety agencies state-wide, for use by agencies and political sub-divisions in the State. The FSA founded in 1893 to promote effective public safety and law enforcement programs, is one of the largest law enforcement associations in the nation. The FSA has staff dedicated to the complex tasks of developing specifications, aggregating volume from agencies across the state, competitively soliciting awards, and managing contracts used by most public agencies in the State for the purchase of vehicles. The FSA program was also established in conjunction with the Florida Fire Chiefs Association (FFCA) and base model specifications are developed by a team of fire service professionals selected by the FFCA. This team develops minimum specifications, quality standards, and service requirements that all bidders must meet. Once the bids are submitted, the team reviews all bid packages and posts a recommended award based upon competitive prices and qualifications. Through the use of Contract FSA16-VEF12.0, Spec. #13, for this budgeted Fiscal Year 2015/16 vehicle replacement, the City benefits from the expertise, staff resources, and the leveraged buying power of the FSA, resulting in cost-effective vehicle purchases.
The Pierce aerial platform, model 100’ Arrow XT PUC, will replace unit #002-8, a 2001 Pierce aerial platform. Recommended front line service time for aerial platforms is 15 years. Unit #002-8 will have been in service for nearly 17 years, as a front line vehicle, by the time the new replacement unit is received and placed into service. The unit’s odometer reading is approaching 50,000 driven miles and the current life-to-date engine hours are nearly 7,000. The calculated equivalent mileage - based on engine hours – is in excess of 160,000.
On November 15, 2016, unit #002-8 underwent an annual NDT (nondestructive testing) required inspection (project l6FES20785), by Underwriters Laboratories (UL). The test program was conducted in accordance with the applicable provisions of Chapter 19 of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Certain non-compliant conditions found during the inspection, and identified in the test program report, are currently being repaired. Upon completion of the repairs, and a successful re-inspection, UL will issue a certificate of compliance.
The life-to-date maintenance and repair costs approaching $300,000 for unit #002-8 represent over 40% of the original cost for this vehicle. The opportunity to offer unit #002-8 as a trade-in, in the negotiated amount of $165,000 will reduce the acquisition cost of its replacement to $993,498.40. The replacement aerial platform is being purchased from the same manufacturer (Pierce) of unit #002-8 to promote consistency in the fleet and standardize operations. This uniformity shortens response and training times on the vehicles, for both operators and maintenance personnel, and also reduces the need to maintain additional parts in inventory from different manufacturers. Dozens of State of Florida municipalities and counties utilize FSA contracts for the purchase of Pierce firefighting equipment.
The Miami Beach Fire Department is currently only one of a limited number of fire departments nationwide that hold both Class 1 rating from the National Insurance Office [ISO] and International Accreditation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence. Achieving these ratings has lowered the cost of fire insurance premiums for the residents of Miami Beach. The purchase of the new equipment will allow the Fire Department to maintain the same number of vehicles in its fleet and continue its Class 1 and International Accreditation ratings.