Fire trucks are designed and manufactured to last a long time. We keep them in service an average of twenty to twenty-five years. In that time, we use them in the worst of weather and require them to carry very heavy loads, between the water we haul and the equipment we use. The key to the long, useful life of a fire truck is purchasing a truck of good quality and having a very intensive maintenance program. During the time we have a truck in service we spend hundreds of hours checking every piece of the truck and the equipment it carries.  As silly as it sounds, taking care of a truck, in time, becomes personal. You know every odd quirk, every sound it makes, and the way it handles going down the road. Firemen gain a trust that the truck will perform its task and keep everyone safe.  As the trucks age-out and maintenance becomes very expensive the trust becomes tempered by frequent breakdowns.

Our plan is to replace a twenty-four year old truck (Engine 1) with a truck that is currently in a front line position but is aging-out for that level of service (Engine 3). We will keep Engine 3 in backup service for five more years and then not likely replace it. It is nice to have a backup engine; however, we are concerned that the cost will be a strong consideration.

The Fire Commissioners appointed a replacement truck committee last year. Their task was to assess the needs of our fire department and find a truck that would meet our requirements for at least twenty-five years. The committee has recommended to the commissioners an engine that will fill our needs. If approved, it will be manufactured by Four Guys Fire Apparatus. It will be an attack pumper similar in style to our Engine 2 housed at the East Station.  The cost will be $650,000 and will take one year to manufacture from the time the order is placed.

A fair question at this point is to ask how much this truck will raise current taxes.  We will have a capital reserve of approximately $350,000 at the end of this year. We currently place $65,000 in capital reserve each year. We will stop the capital reserve for five years and make payments for the truck with the $65,000 that is currently reserved.  The goal is to purchase that truck on the current budget and not raise your taxes to the fire department. This budgeting practice has been used to purchase fire trucks for the past thirty years.

We will include the purchase of this new truck in the 2023 budget. In the coming months we will provide information and drawings from the manufacturer and will be prepared to answer your questions. Our goal is to keep one front line attack pumper at each end of Andover.  This request will help us to accomplish our mission of safety.