Firefighters, village discuss $600,000 truck
The Daily Mail
Jan. 19, 2009

Members of the Athens Volunteer Fire Department discussed with the Athens Village Board the options for purchasing a $600,000 truck at their meeting Wednesday.

The new “quint” the department is hoping to buy, with its pumps, water tank, hose, ladder, and 77-foot aerial arm could cost as much as $600,000, Peter Alberti, who chairs the department’s truck committee, told the board. Other models, which lack some features the department desires, could cost less.

The new truck is needed to replace a truck purchased new in 1983, said department chief John Greco. At the time of purchase, the truck was slated for replacement in 1998, according to the department fire truck replacement plan. The old truck has had problems with its breaks, pump, radiator carburetor and requiring $26,000 in repairs between 2001 and 2006, Greco said.

Greco said that the truck is started and checked every week and that it did pass safety inspections last year, but that this year the “old girl” might not be so lucky.

Greco and Alberti said at the meeting that they worry about the safety of their crews who ride the truck.

So far, the truck has only malfunctioned during training drills and minor fires and the department tries not to use it when possible, Greco said. The 25-year-old truck did respond to the recent call to Stewart House in Athens’ historical waterfront district, but was not engaged during the call, he said.

“Anything over 21 should be taken out of service,” Alberti said.

Department members think that the new truck may help them attain a more favorable score when the insurance services office inspects the department.

They suggested that a public hearing could be called to address Athens citizens on the need and that a referendum on the issue might be appropriate.

The board struggled at their meeting with how best to address replacing the truck. They voiced reservations over presenting the truck, and its multithousand dollar price-tag, as a referendum item this spring.

Mayor Andrea Smallwood said she feared that burdening taxpayers with the expense might not be wise in the present economic situation.

She questioned whether a referendum item could be on the ballot in March, due to procedural time constraints on such measures.

Trustee Chris Pfister said that the board would need to agree on a bond issue before a referendum could be called.

Trustee Tom Sopris said it was obvious to him that the old truck needed to be replaced, but worried that should voters reject a referendum item, the village might be left without another option.

The board discussed other avenues from which funding might come but acknowledged that the problem was difficult. Already, the Village has been notified that State funds will not be made available to various projects and programs. The Village is also looking to update its water meter reading system and construct a new Department of Public Works building, both of which which will cost money.

The issue was left unresolved, but the board and Village Attorney Brent Stack will revisit the issue at the next meeting.

Greco advised the board that after the National Fire Protection Association updates their standards in 2010, the price of the truck could rise another $200,000, as safety features such as a data recorder, become standard features.

If the cost of the truck is prohibitive, the department may be in a position to buy a used truck from another department.

Greco warned the board purchasing a used vehicle would come with a certain amount of risk.

“We’re not too keen on purchasing used fire apparatus,” he said.