Commissioners unanimously gave staff the authority to move ahead on issuing approximately $1.2 million in general obligation bonds to purchase a technical rescue fire vehicle and two quint fire engines.

The three pieces of new fire fighting equipment would replace equipment that Fire Chief Mark Bradford has said is becoming difficult to maintain.

One quint – a type of fire engine with a 75-foot ladder – has 99,000 miles, 10,000 engine hours and is costing the city about $70,000 per year in maintenance, Bradford said.

The second quint has 92,000 miles, 8,000 engine hours and costs about $65,000 a year to maintain. The city currently does not have an operating technical rescue vehicle, and uses a pair of trailers for the equipment.