JAY – Firefighters have submitted a new proposal to selectmen for a pumper/rescue truck.
Townspeople rejected buying a new truck to replace the aging Engine 3 twice in the last three years. However, voters continue to raise money for a reserve account, which now stands at $312,000, said Jay Fire Rescue Chief Scott Shink’s written proposal.
Last year, selectmen opted not to put the proposal to buy a new truck before voters after receiving only one bid for a truck from Pierce, a company that manufactures trucks. That bid was for $374,042.
Selectmen had an extensive study done to determine the needs of the Fire Department, and the study recommended that Engine 3 be replaced in 2005 and outlined a time frame for other trucks to be replaced.
Shink’s new proposal is for an E-One pumper/rescue truck that would cost $354,000. If $300,000 of that amount were pre-paid, the town would get savings of $9,000, reducing the cost to $345,000.
If the $312,000 in the reserve fund were applied, a balance of $33,000 would have to be raised by voters in the 2006-07 budget, Shink wrote. Selectmen are scheduled to consider the proposal at 6 p.m. Monday at the Community Building. If the board approves putting the new proposal before residents in April and voters approve it, there would be a 280-day delivery time after the contract was signed, which would bring delivery time to about September 2006.
The truck being considered would have an eight-man seating capacity with six seats and two jump seats. It would also have a roll stability capacity, a foam pump system, heavy rescue tool system and a lighting package for scene safety. The truck would also be able to be serviced at a shop in Brunswick.
Shink said in a memo to selectmen that he had contacted several manufacturers to get a demonstration truck, but found there was nothing available close to the specifications a committee had outlined. Most of the trucks had been deployed to areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Shink noted other factors to consider in his memo: potential of a 3 percent cost increase in December; new Environmental Protection Agency standards that could affect prices for all components of the engine; and continued expenses for repairs of older trucks in front-line service.
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