WILTON — At their meeting last week, selectmen voted 3-1 to offer the fire department’s 1973 Snorkel truck to Foster Tech Center students for training.
The department’s Snorkel ladder fire truck didn’t pass its certification inspection and needs an estimated $15,000 or more to fix. Several condition problems include a stress fractures of its frame and bucket, said Fire Chief Sonny Dunham. The only alternatives were to sell it for salvage or to another department that needs the parts.
Selectman Terry Brann suggested it be donated for training purposes to Foster Tech Center, which has fire fighting and welding courses. Selectmen, Brann, Tiffany Maiuri and D. Scott Taylor voted to give it to the center, contingent upon acceptance, with Selectman Paul Berkey, Jr. voting against it. Berkey explained he voted against the donation idea because selling it for salvage may bring in $4,000 to $5,000 for the fire department. If Foster Tech doesn’t accept the truck, it will be sold for salvage. Selectman Tom Saviello was absent from the meeting.
Earlier, an advisory committee was formed to look into what the 2015 plan might be for the fire department’s apparatus. Brann, Saviello, Chief Dunham, Town Manager Rhonda Irish and fire department members Assistant Fire Chief Kyle Ellis, Deputy Chief Tom Doak, Capt. Bob Burdick and Dick Hall of the East Dixfield Fire Department, came up with a few options and a public meeting was set for July 15 to discuss the matter.
Without Snorkel, the department now has two pumper trucks and a squad truck.
Options include replacing Snorkel with an aerial pumper truck that has a ladder set up to keep the department’s total number of trucks at four; or to reduce to truck total to three by replacing Snorkel and Engine 7 with an aerial pumper truck. Also under discussion is whether to contract for services with the Jay and Farmington fire departments for when a tower ladder truck is needed.
Services contract estimates have been discussed informally but “nothing is firmed up yet,” Dunham said, and he added, “it’s not going to be cheap if we contract out.”
In the meantime, the fire department is conducting a public safety survey with the town’s largest businesses to find out their take on if the town were to contract with a neighboring town for tower ladder truck services. RSU 9, Jarden’s, Barclaycard, Randy Cousineau, Wilson Lake Inn and Comfort Inn, Tractor Supply, and others have been given the survey of questions.
Selectman Maiuri specifically was interested in finding out if their insurance rate would be affected if the town were to rely on another town for a tower ladder truck. Berkey, who owns a building downtown suggested owners of two- and three-story buildings should also receive the survey and have their say.
With the survey feedback responses, different truck options with loan information will be presented to the public for its input at the July 15 meeting to be held at Academy Hill School. Voters will have the final say at a town meeting.
Berkey wants the owners of every 2 and 3 story building surveyed? As in most homeowners? Doesn’t that thereby nullify the votes of business owners whose business insurance (different rate and absolutely impacted by the town not having its own ladder truck) will certainly go up? And yes, let’s all wait around for Farmington to show up on the scene with its ladder truck (if it’s available) of a multi-story structure fire in Wilton.
Why don’t ALL taxpayers “have their say”?