“We’re investing, yes, in some different equipment; more hose on the truck, yes,” said Lexington Fire Chief Erik Edwards. “It’s got to stretch a little bit longer than we’re used to in the past.”
But he said the department has long used so-called buying groups–joint powers agreements with other departments that allow for purchasing equipment without the standard bidding process most public entities use.
“The buying group, what they do is allow us to seek other vendors or preferred vendors,” explained Edwards. “Let’s just say you are doing turnout gear. The list of vendors will be on there if you’re seeking a certain brand of turn-out gear, and if you are part of the group, you can just go and buy that, so it kind of removes the need, really , to open it up for a bunch of bids.”
The city recently approved a joint powers agreement with a department near Lake Minnetonka to help purchase some new turn-out gear. Edwards said he remembers when the department identified a fire engine it knew it wanted more than a dozen years ago, and the city allowed it to enter in a buying group that the truck vendor specifically worked through.
“It benefits both sides, because, like I said, fire departments or purchasing entities, have made agreements with the vendor side, to allow the to work together,” he said. “These joint powers agreements or these buying groups have ensured that.”
