Dalton Fire District Explores Obtaining Ladder Truck Donation
DALTON, Mass. — Fire Chief Christian Tobin may have found the department a ladder truck while vacationing in the state of Florida.
Tobin is still very early in discussions with the North Collier Fire Rescue District in Naples, Florida, regarding a potential donation of a 1998 Pierce Quantum 107-foot aerial ladder truck.
The Board of Water Commission voted during its meeting on Tuesday to allow Tobin to discuss the possibility with the North Collier Fire Rescue District and to return to the board with a written offer.
"The biggest trouble is we didn't budget for this. So, if it doesn't come free, we don't have the money. We don't have $90,000 in any of our budget, nor do we have it in free cash, nor do we have it in overlays. So, we can't buy it," board Chair James Driscoll said.
Tobin agreed but emphasized that he was not asking the district to purchase the ladder truck for $90,000.
Rather, during the initial conversation he had with the North Collier Fire Rescue District, he said the district is willing to donate the truck if the Dalton Fire District covers the cost of shipping and handling, which is estimated to be about $5,000.
"The truck is certified pumper [and] ladder. They've even offered to put some tools and equipment on it. They're in a much better position than we are," Tobin said.
"I can't stress enough that they will donate this truck to somebody, whether or not this Dalton is really hinged on tonight, they want the truck off the books and off the lot."
The North Collier Fire Rescue District is along the beach line in Naples, Fla., and has a $60 million budget.
"They have an entire home dedicated to fleet facility and maintenance with emergency vehicle technicians," Tobin said during the Board of Water Commission meeting.
The North Collier Fire Rescue District is a bigger, unionized department, so it has the resources to purchase newer trucks based on the recommendation of the National Fire Protection Association. The association recommends a department replace its trucks every 20 years.
He said he has spoken to the North Collier's chief and lead mechanics, and the truck is in "immaculate condition," Tobin said.
The North Collier Fire Rescue District has donated two ladder trucks previous to this one, Tobin said.
The potential donation emerged when Tobin visited the station to reconnect with friends from when his father served as its fire chief between 1997 and 2002. He also spent his entire fire service career in Florida until coming to Dalton.
Tobin said he knows this truck well. It was at his firefighter graduation and was purchased by his father in 1998.
They are willing to donate this approximately $2 million piece of equipment to the department for free, he said.
"We're not looking at spending $100,000 and then putting another $100,000 in it and getting road ready. We're getting this piece of thing that's ready to go, and we got to spit shine it [and] put the tools on it," Tobin said.
"OK, is it going to be expensive to maintain, but those costs are over the course of 10 or 15 years, or you would have just spent that amount of money and just trying to get a truck that, if you're lucky, is even comparable."
Tobin showed the board pictures of the truck and said that all the maintenance records are available. They are even willing to put equipment back on the truck to "help us out," such as Very High Frequency (VHF) Radios, because they do not use those down there.
"So, the truck has been babied its entire life because they have the resources to do it," Tobin said.
The truck has a 1,500-gallon per minute pump and a 300-gallon tank. It is also all-steer, so it can go down any Dalton street. The wheels can all turn to one side, making sharp corners and cramming it up against buildings and curbs, Tobin said.
Concerns were raised about the apparatus's height. The truck is 12 feet and 6 inches in height and 42 feet and 5 inches in length, so it may not fit in the bay.
At the moment, Tobin said he is not concerned about the height of the truck because it is a free apparatus that they know the history of. Worrying about that before the district even has the truck is "putting the cart before the horse."
"In our town, we owe the people of Dalton and the surrounding [areas] … a good, solid, rust-free apparatus that we can use for the next 10 or 15 years," Tobin said.
The truck would be a tight fit into the bay because when district staff measured the bay's interior, it came to 12-foot-8-inches, and the door is 12 feet.
"I believe that a few rows of bricks may have to be removed and repointed, but at that point, I believe that it is feasible to raise the opening of the door for that truck to fit in the building," Assistant Fire Chief Chris Cachat said.
Cachat confirmed this work would have to be engineered.
The district has already been in contact with Hill Engineering about getting a better design for space usage and living quarters.
"So, maybe we can expand [the department] into more rooms, move the office space up in the front. The building's older and maybe better utilizing the space will give us better use of the facility," Tobin said.
Prudential Committee Chair Daniel Filiault said since the department is already in contact with Hill Engineering, they can ask them if they can move quickly in getting a quote for the cost of adjusting the bay to fit the ladder truck.
Hill Engineering did the engineering on the bay, so they should have the paperwork to tell them whether work on the bay can be done, Driscoll said.
In the meantime, the district could ask Peter Kirchner whether he would store the vehicle at Ashuelot Park, located at 401 South St.
"I'm not speaking for Peter Kirchner, but I believe there's a spot we can put it," board member Camillus Cachat Jr. said.
Ashuelot Park LLC is a one-story commercial industrial building that offers leasing of office, manufacturing, warehousing, and storage space.
The board had tried to buy a ladder truck from Northern Fire Equipment in Buffalo, N.Y.
However, due to numerous delays spanning two years and the work never being completed, the district decided to pursue legal action against the company for breaching the ladder truck contract. More information on that here.
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