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03/19/2019 12:00 AMThe Fire Department will get at least one of its requested three new engines following the results of a special town meeting last month, which approved a $750,000 allocation from the town’s fund balance for a new pumper truck.
The new truck will replace one of three department vehicles that have been in service for 25 years or longer and are now selected for replacement.
“There are essentially three apparatus that have been identified as having to replace,” said Fire Chief Paul Januszewski. The three engines were selected for replacement in 2014.
Januszewski said that the department has applied for a FEMA grant that would cover the cost of one truck, and that they hope to hear about the results of their application for that grant by the end of March. The fire department has also allocated $300,000 for a used ladder truck in its proposed 2019 budget.
Repairs to the engines’ systems are becoming more frequent, according to the department.
“The constant maintenance and the constant downtime is impacting our operations,” Januszewski said. “We’re holding off on sending our additional apparatus for more repairs because we can’t have more than, typically, one apparatus out at any given time.”
The Board of Finance (BOF) proposed the $750,000 allocation at its January meeting. Januszewski said that the new vehicle will be built to their specifications. Construction of the vehicle is expected to take 10 to 12 months.
“By doing this now…instead of having to wait, let’s say for the next budget and doing this July or August, we can get a good six months head start on the ordering,” Januszewski said.
The BOF made the decision to purchase the vehicle with the town’s rainy day fund rather than lease it to keep the added cost from affecting the town’s mill rate calculations.
First Selectman and BOF member Mike Freda spoke in favor of the proposal.
“This is why we have a fund balance. This is why we have healthy reserves,” Freda said.
Other citizens and members of the Board of Fire Commissioners defended the proposal. One citizen, Nancy Barrett, spoke in favor of delaying the vote until after the results of the FEMA grant application is returned.
“Why should we pay for a new pumper engine when we might get it for free?” she said. “It is clear that we need to replace aging apparatus, however I think that we should make such a major purchasing decision only when we have all of the best information.”
The fire department’s 2019 budget also calls for funds to hire six additional firefighters to meet a call volume that Januszewski said has increased by a rate of six- to eight percent every year. Januszewski has also suggested that the department would like to hire eight firefighters in addition to the six requested in the budget.
Additional items in the budget would go to purchasing more safety equipment, like bulletproof vests, for firefighters.
The vote to approve the pumper truck purchase passed with no votes in opposition.