BY ANDREAS YILMA
CITIZENS NEWS
PROSPECT — The town has approved the purchase of a new $1.2 million rescue fire truck to replace its 30-year-old rescue truck.
The Town Council held a Town Meeting on July 16 at Town Hall where about two dozen residents unanimously approved for the purchase of a Pierce Rescue Fire truck for a financing term of up to 10 years for a price of up to $1.5 million.
The council immediately after the town meeting unanimously approved the financing of a seven-year term through Webster Bank at 4.4%. The cost of the truck is $1,093,318 but after interest would come to $1.28 million.
The town would get the truck in 2028 due to Pierce lead times with the first payment due at the beginning of the next fiscal year.
“Webster is going to fund to full purchase in August of this year, with the first payment due from us in July 2025,” Town Council member Theresa C. Graveline said. “So this gives us seven years from now to pay for truck in full.”
Town Council Chairman Jeff Slapikas said the price increases another 3% or about another $30,000 through Pierce if the contract isn’t signed before Aug. 1.
“I think it’s a good deal for us,” Town Council Chairman Jeff Slapikas said. “We could work it into our budget when we do our budget this coming year for July 15.”
Slapikas said the town is expecting to make three payments including the July 15 payment before the rescue truck is delivered. The town is also expecting to have the truck paid of by 2031.
Volunteer Fire Department of Prospect Lt. and Apparatus Replacement Committee Chairman Ronald Pugliese Jr. said it’s time to replace the 1993 rescue truck.
All of the standards including the National Fire Protection Association and some other benchmark standards all say that the trucks should be replaced after 25 years,” Pugliese said.
Pugliese said the fire department hired MissionCIT, a consultation and a training company that works with members of the fire service, where that company conducted an apparatus survey and answered two questions from the fire officials — does the rescue truck need to be replaced and should the fire department replace the rescue truck with another rescue truck or a ladder truck.
“Mission CIT agreed that we do need to replace our truck,” Pugliese said. “It is beyond its serviceable life and they’ve recommended that we replace it with another rescue truck.”
The Apparatus Replacement Committee was tasked with finding a truck that was both economical and will work for the needs of the department and the town. The committee looked into multiple designs of a walk in versus walk around truck as well as demo models and refurbishing the existing truck, Pugliese said.
Fire officials ultimately decided to go for a walk-around Pierce Recue Truck which holds all the equipment in the back and all the fire personnel ride in a cab with all the safety features, Pugliese added.
“The truck that we have now is getting tired. It’s underpowered. The cost to maintain it and operate the truck is going up. We’re starting to see some rather major problems pop up such as the light tower. It doesn’t hold. It stays up using air pressure,” Pugliese said.
“It doesn’t hold the air anymore so after a while it starts to sag and we have to put it back up and if we’re using it an emergency to light the scene, that can be problematic.”
In addition, the generator is beginning to fail which powers the light tower and provides power to the hydraulic rescue tools.
“I think the truck that we’ve put together is going to fit the town and fit the department very well,” Pugliese said.
Volunteer Fire Department of Prospect Fire Chief Michael Guastaferri said when it comes to the existing rescue truck, fire officials could explore trading it in through Firematic, the dealer who the town is purchasing the new rescue truck from or they could try selling the old rescue truck privately.
“It’s owned and titled to the town of Prospect so it’ll be up to the town to decide. It’s worth, rough guess, $30,000 to $45,000 right now,” Guastaferri said. “Come four years, that may change. I do know a couple private companies that would be interested in it.”
