The Town of Mason purchased a 1998 Freightliner fire engine to replace its oldest fire engine, which was performing under standard. Courtesy photo—
The Mason Fire Department has purchased a used engine from Walpole to replace the town’s oldest truck, which had a defective pump.
According to Fire Chief Anthony Burns, the problem was detected while doing annual testing off all the town’s fire equipment and vehicles in April. Engine 3, a 1990 L9000, was the town’s oldest engine and was performing under the standard allowed for structural firefighting. The pump on Engine 3 is meant to flow at 1,250 gallons per minute when it is working optimally, but during the test, it was only producing a flow of about 300 gallons per minute.
Because the engine is more than 30 years old, the front-mounted pump is no longer being manufactured, nor are parts available for repair, Burns said.
“This means the truck would not perform to the standard needed for structural firefighting and would endanger the firefighters, property and public,” Burns wrote in a notice posted on the town’s website. “When this happened, it put us in a pretty big spot. A brand-new engine starts at $600,000 for a base model.”
Rather than replace the 1990 vehicle with a new truck, the town began looking at the possibility of purchasing a used vehicle that was still in working condition. The town purchased a 1998 Freightliner engine from the North Walpole Fire District for $40,000, and also expects to pay a further $10,000 to outfit the truck with hoses and nozzles and $5,000 for pump repairs. The funds were available in the town’s capital expense account for fire department vehicles.
While not a new truck, the engine has a pump that is still serviceable, with parts available for future repairs. The truck has about 15,000 miles, and Burns said the town expects to be able to use the truck for at least 10 years.
“This will give us time to get our replacement plan in motion, which includes working with a grant-writer,” Burns said.
Ashley Saari can be rea c hed at 602-924-7172, Ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.
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