WILTON – The selectboard asked the town manager and fire chief to provide updated numbers on the costs of new and used aerial fire engines Tuesday evening, as they continue to weigh the town’s options for fire coverage.
A group of town officials, selectmen and residents have been meeting monthly to discuss the subject for the past year or so, after the Wilton Fire Department’s aerial truck failed to pass an inspection in August 2013. The 1973 Snorkel aerial fire truck failed to pass due to stress fractures in the vehicle’s frame and bucket that would have cost more than $15,000 to repair. It was taken out of service and, after several options were explored by the town, sold for scrap.
WFD maintains three other fire engines, plus a squad truck: a pumper designated Engine 7, a rescue pumper named Engine 1 and Tanker 1, which carries water. One of the issues with the current fleet is that Wilton has buildings that are taller than the maximum range of WFD’s ladders. Main Street has a number of structures that are three- or three-and-a-half stories tall and the owner of the Bass Building near Wilson Lake was planning on installing apartments into a fourth floor.
The committee has developed three options throughout its deliberations. Two options would involve buying a new or used aerial truck, possibly a quint. Quints, short for quintuple combination pumper, are also known as 5-in-1 trucks because they combine a pump, water storage tank, fire hose, aerial device, and ground ladders.
A used quint with a full, 100-foot aerial device would cost between $400,000 to $600,000, with a brand new truck costing in excess of $1 million. However, Tuesday evening Chief Sonny Dunham said that he was considering buying an 85-foot aerial, matching the scrapped Snorkel, which would cost less.
The third option would be to contract with either Farmington or Jay for aerial coverage, as both towns have that capability. Tuesday evening, Selectman Tiffany Maiuri said that she did not believe that option was viable unless Wilton contracted with both neighbors, as neither responding department could reach the opposite side of Wilton in a timely fashion.
“I don’t see how else we can cover this town,” Maiuri said.
Both contracts would cost Wilton roughly $9 per citizen. Selectman Tom Saviello asked that the fire truck committee provide updated numbers for the cost of a new and used truck, to be presented in a similar manner.
“I want to know what it’s going to cost per citizen,” Saviello said. That cost would need to include fuel and maintenance, he noted, as those were included in Farmington and Jay’s figures.
Selectman John Black asked Dunham to also research call data over the past few years, to get a sense of the necessity of having an aerial device in town. Town Manager Rhonda Irish was also asked to provide the board with the town’s mutual aid agreement. That agreement doesn’t specify what pieces of equipment go where, Dunham noted, but the department does keep a chart that details the response for each town.
In related news, the selectboard gave their permission to have the Wilton Fire Department file for a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant to buy a new or used aerial truck. That grant, if approved, would require a 5 percent local match.
