Several purchases by the Williamsport Bureau of Fire were approved recently and they are expected to help firefighters perform their duties with more efficiency and protect valuable equipment and materials.

City Council authorized the bureau to enter into a sales agreement with Whitmoyer Buick-Chevrolet for a 2024 Silverado, a truck similar to one purchased a month ago. This will replace a 2005 Ford Expedition used by the fire inspector.

“We’re swapping some vehicles,” Fire Chief Sam Aungst said.

The price is not to exceed $54,100 and the cost of the truck will come from proceeds of the sale of Engine One, he said.

Furthermore, council authorized sales agreements with Charles J. Mertes, an electrical and mechanical contractor in Cogan Station, for the installation of a gas heater in a new shed, price not to exceed $2,953. This will be funded by the received Pennsylvania Municipal Fire Department Capital grant. A similar agreement was approved with True Grade Excavating and Hauling, 2496 Jacks Hollow Road, for conduit to go from the fire station on Walnut Street to the new 20 by 20-foot shed. Price is not to exceed $4,215 and it will also be taken from the grant the bureau received.

The new insulated shed is going to store equipment and free up space that will be used for training purposes. The fire department officials are planning to move material from the stockroom to the shed that will be heated during the winter months. Equipment will include fans and fittings for the trucks and hoses and oil dry — a host of important materials for the firefighters. The plan is to make the stockroom a training room.