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. #3, 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 three Horton Model 623 Rescue Transport Units, mounted on a Freightliner M2 chassis, will replace units #1023, #1024, and #1025, three 2005 MEDTEC Ambulances mounted on a 2005 International 4300 chassis. All three units were placed in service in March of 2005. Unit #1023 is not in service due to structural damage to the ambulance module. Recommended front line front line service time for rescue vans is 10 years. Units #1024 and #1025 are presently in service as active reserve units and will have been in service for nearly 13 years, by the time the new replacement unit is received and placed into service. The average life-to-date odometer reading and engine hours for these vehicles are in excess of 126,000 miles and approximately 16,000 hours, respectively. The average calculated equivalent mileage - based on engine hours – is approximately 350,000. The average life-to-date maintenance and repair costs of these vehicles have exceeded their original cost. The opportunity to offer three units as trade-ins will reduce the combined acquisition cost of the three new units to $932,884.50.
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. The purchase of the new equipment will allow the Fire Department to help maintain its Class 1 and International Accreditation ratings.