The Pittsylvania County Fire and Rescue Commission on March 20 approved a $4,000 request from an agency to help replace a response vehicle that county insurance declared a total loss after a Jan. 5 crash.

The request matters because the agency said the vehicle was responding to a reported motor-vehicle crash with entrapment when it slid on ice and slid into the woods, and the department reported the insurance payout left a large gap between the settlement and the replacement cost.

Tyler Key, representing the requesting department, told the commission the county insurer paid $34,009.97 for the wrecked vehicle and the replacement and equipment would cost more than $78,000. “The truck itself is 63,549. We’ve already purchased the truck… They put the lights on it and scribe on it. That’s gonna be 14,146,” Key said. He told commissioners the department already had taken delivery arrangements and was asking for the $4,000 maximum available under the capital reserve fund policy to help cover the balance.

Commissioners discussed whether the request fit the reserve fund’s purpose and cautioned about setting a precedent for routine vehicle replacements. “The capital reserve fund is intended to address unforeseen emergency financial needs of fire and rescue. I’d have to say a motor vehicle crash would meet that criteria,” one commissioner said during deliberations. Commissioners also noted the SOG limits awards to a maximum of $4,000 per request.

Motion seconded by Allen Casper, carried unanimously on a roll call. After the vote the chair said the commission would forward the approved request to the Board of Supervisors.

The commission packet included the department’s financial sheets and a dealer quote from Sheehy Ford, as well as the capital-reserve request form and the SOG language the commission cited when confirming eligibility. The commission noted the capital reserve fund balance was “over $80,000” at the last check.

The commission’s approval is an administrative recommendation; the request will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for final action.