By Keith Edwards
The Kennebec Journal
RICHMOND, Maine — Selectmen unanimously approved the purchase of a new, $110,000 fire truck Wednesday to replace a 1988 truck firefighters say is deteriorating rapidly and no longer safe.
“The rear gas tank has a hole in it, so we’re no longer using it. The rear bumper has some holes; That reduces the safety of the vehicle and could put occupants in danger,” Richmond Fire Capt. Don Houde said of the old “Service 3" truck. “It may not pass state inspection next year without at least doing some body work. It has served the town well and exceeded its life expectancy. It needs several costly repairs that, if done, would not extend the life of the vehicle.”
The new E-One truck is $13,100 over the $96,900 appropriated by voters for buying a new truck at town meeting.
Officials are scrambling to come up with the difference. Town Manager Marian Anderson said she would brainstorm with Fire Chief Andrew Pierce and others to find additional funds for the truck.
Houde said the town may be able to get $1,000 to $9,000 for the old truck to help offset the purchase cost.
Pierce said he would dedicate any fees the department collects and any funds left in the Fire Department’s budget at the end of the year toward the purchase.
Anderson said the town may also be able to talk to truck manufacturer E-One about financing.
Houde said the E-One truck — supplied and serviced through Greenwood Emergency Vehicles, a local dealer in Brunswick — was the unanimous choice of Richmond firefighters.
He said Richmond is already a customer of Greenwood for other fire trucks, and that the town has had a positive history with the firm. He and Anderson also said the E-One truck is made of thicker metal and is of higher-quality construction than trucks that cost less. The truck exceeds the specifications of the town’s request for bids, and has an “extensive” warranty package including 10 years on paint and a one-year warranty on the Ford truck the fire vehicle will be built upon.
Other fire truck firms submitted truck bids to the town ranging from $98,000 to $132,500. Houde said the two trucks cheaper than the E-One had lesser warranties. Service would have had to be out of state or by contract, at an additional cost.
Similar E-One fire trucks, a recommendation read by Houde states, are being used in Chelsea, North Berwick and Cundy’s Harbor; fire department officials there “had nothing but good things to say” about their trucks, Houde said.
Anderson said she would have a recommendation on how to close the funding gap at next selectmen’s meeting.
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