FARMINGTON — Selectmen voted Tuesday to approve the Fire Rescue Department’s proposal to replace the 1989 squad truck, town secretary Linda Grant said Wednesday.

Board Chairman Steve Bunker, a firefighter, abstained from the vote.

According to the department’s capital improvement plan, the Ford F-350 truck is scheduled to be replaced this year.

The department researched options and presented its plan to the board.

The 1989 truck is a 4-by-4 with a steel unit utility body and skid unit with a 200-gallon tank and pump. The truck was rehabbed by department members in 2005, according to information submitted to selectmen.

“The truck body is now showing signs of rust and corrosion again,” Chief Terry Bell said. “The braking system on the truck is in need of a complete overhaul. The truck’s transmission is becoming weak. The unit’s engine has numerous oil leaks and has been replaced previously.”

The proposal is to purchase a new chassis and body to replace the current squad truck, he said. If the department bought a truck complete from a fire apparatus manufacturer built to its specifications it is estimated to cost $135,000, he said.

The department recommends buying the chassis for the unit and then purchase a body for the truck, Bell said.

“This option would cost the town an estimated $95,000 which would be a substantial savings over purchasing the truck from an apparatus manufacturer,” he said.

The truck would be a Ford F-550 four-wheel drive, crew cab and chassis with a diesel engine.

The chassis will be outfitted with warning lights, siren and radios by the fire Department, he said. They would also have the lettering done locally.

The body will be a poly rescue/utility style body built by CET Fire Pump Manufacturing. It will meet National Firefighters Protection Association’s standards and come as a complete package with all of the state Department of Transportation and emergency lights installed.

“This unit will carry our forestry skid unit. We will use the 200-gallon poly tank that is on the current truck that was purchased in 2008 with a forestry grant,” Bell said. “The plan is to purchase a new pump and new hose reel for the tank to replace the current ones that are over 20 years old.”

The money would come out of the department’s reserve account, which has $99,330.

The estimated time frame for the unit to be completed is February 2013.

Firefighters also received board permission to put in a bid to host the 2014 Maine State Federation of Firefighters convention, Bell said. If they get the opportunity, thousands of people would come to town, which should prove an economic boost to the area, he said.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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