NEW PORTLAND – Fire Chief Kip Poulin was surprised Wednesday to learn his department would receive $144,000 for a new tanker pumper.

“That’s good news,” Poulin said. “I’m surprised and delighted.”

U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, Republicans from Maine, announced the federal award of $323,095 to four fire departments Wednesday.

New Portland got the bulk of the money. The Harrington Volunteer Fire Department got $91,544, the Vassalboro Fire Department got $68,021, and the Thorndike Volunteer Fire Department received $19,530.

The money comes from the federal Department of Homeland Security as part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. The grants help departments with fire operations and firefighter safety training.

Poulin said Wednesday that he had not been notified of the award officially.

Poulin said department members put in for money to buy a $160,000 tanker. The town’s share is $16,000 of that, which is in reserve, he said.

The 20-volunteer department has six trucks, including one they are putting together.

The 1972 truck that a newer one would replace is a gravity dump tanker without a pump. Firefighters open a valve and drop water into a portable dump tank to pump from.

Firefighters will be looking for a tanker pumper with a minimum capacity of 2,000 gallons, or as much as 3,000 gallons.

They’d also like the truck to have a pump that has a capacity of 750 gallons or more per minute, Poulin said.

“What we hope to do is remove two trucks out of service and replace them with this new one,” he said.

The department covers New Portland and provides daytime coverage to Lexington and Highland plantations.

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