New fire truck request will be on Greenville warrant

Staff Report

    GREENVILLE — The Greenville Fire Department has a 1977 ladder truck that can’t get a certificate of inspection unless it undergoes major repairs and a 1991 pumper with a history of relief valve problems and a balky transmission.
    If residents go along with recommendations by the board of selectmen and Fire Chief Matt St. Laurent, both pieces of equipment will be sold or traded toward the purchase of a late-model quint engine.

    A quint is a truck with a permanently mounted pump, water tank, fire hose storage area and an aerial ladder or platform with a permanently-mounted waterway and a complement of ground ladders, according to St. Laurent.
    The estimated cost of a late-model quint is $250,000.
    The fire chief outlined several reasons for his preference for a multi-equipped vehicle, including having several pieces of firefighting apparatus on one truck. It would also be the first vehicle on the road for a call. “Due to limited response to some calls, especially during the day, this will increase the effectiveness of a minimal crew,” St. Laurent told the board. “With the purchase of a quint, the members of the department will have virtually everything they would need to begin to mitigate an emergency on one truck while waiting for backup to arrive.”
    St. Laurent also outlined several reasons why Greenville needs a ladder truck. One consideration is the need to vent buildings quickly, since their contents “are manufactured much differently than they were 10-15 years ago and beyond. With the introduction of man-made products and engineered building components, structures burn much faster and hotter than before.”
    He also pointed out that with the amount of snowfall during the winter months, “It would be very labor-intensive to use ground ladders on a house fire. Wading through the snow carrying ladders would rapidly exhaust manpower.”
    After St. Laurent’s presentation, selectmen voted 3-0 with Chairman Richard Peat abstaining to place an article on the annual town meeting warrant to borrow up to $250,000 for the engine to replace the two existing trucks and authorize the town to either sell or trade the old vehicles. Peat abstained because he’s on the fire department and Selectman Craig Watt was absent.
If the two old vehicles can be sold for $20,000 total and the town puts $16,000 down, the balance of the loan could be paid off over a nine-year period at just under $24,000 a year. This is close to the annual payment on a loan just recently paid off for another fire truck.
Greenville selectmen also agreed to place an article on the town meeting warrant recommending a reduction in the number of positions on the planning board from seven to five. Code Enforcement Officer Jack Hart requested the change, citing the difficulties the board has had in securing a quorum to conduct business. With five members, only three would be needed for a quorum.
Selectmen also approved the appointment of Ron Dobra to the Planning Board of Appeals and Christine Comber and Bette DiAngelo to the Shaw Public Library Board of Trustees.
There will be a budget workshop on Wednesday, March 25 at 6 p.m. and a regular board of selectmen’s meeting one week later on April 1.