HINSDALE, IL – A new type of fire truck in Hinsdale will not only benefit residents, but surrounding towns, the interim fire chief said Tuesday.
At a Village Board meeting, trustees voted to spend $1.7 million to buy what is known as a Rosenbauer Aerial Snorkel truck. The village expects to receive it in 2026.
The truck would replace the village’s ladder truck, which would cost $2 million new, according to a village memo.
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Over the next six years, the total savings would be nearly $1.8 million because the village could then eliminate other apparatus in its fleet, the memo said.
The board first heard about buying a Snorkel at a meeting two weeks ago. The decision was relatively quick compared with neighboring Clarendon Hills a couple of years ago.
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In Clarendon Hills, the administration considered doing away with the ladder truck. But firefighters and residents protested, with some putting pro-ladder truck signs in their yards.
After a months-long debate, Clarendon Hills trustees decided to buy a new ladder truck.
In comments to the board Tuesday, interim Hinsdale Fire chief Jeffrey Pindelski said the Snorkel truck was ideal for Hinsdale’s needs.
In cases where Hinsdale needs a ladder truck, it could rely on neighbors with them, Pindelski said. They include Clarendon Hills, Western Springs, Oak Brook and the Pleasantview Fire District, he said.
“This proposal not only strengthens the Hinsdale Fire Department, but collectively, it strengthens every fire department in the area as it provides a tool in the firefighter arsenal that is not presently available in the area,” Pindelski said.
Pindelski described Hinsdale firefighters as enthusiastically behind the idea.
At a meeting a couple of weeks ago, Pindelski was asked why other departments get ladder trucks, rather than Snorkels.
He said they were often influenced by the “glitz and glamour” of having 100-foot-plus ladder trucks.
According to the memo, the Snorkel truck is easier to move around and can be placed more effectively to battle house fires.
At the earlier meeting, Village President Tom Cauley suggested the board give the fire department informal approval to go ahead and order the truck. But Trustee Neale Byrnes said he wanted to wait. He said the idea sounded good, but “this is kind of quick.”
At Tuesday’s meeting, Byrnes said, “I’m all in on this.”
No money will be spent until 2026, officials said.
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