LEYDEN — The Leyden Firefighters Association hopes to replace the town’s 40-year-old Engine 1 with a slightly newer model pending approval during town meeting.
The association, a recognized nonprofit that raises money to support the Leyden Volunteer Fire Department, has already purchased a 1983 diesel engine from Craigslist with $3,900 of its own money on Aug. 13 — a move that has raised concerns from the town Selectboard.
According to Matt Muka, a member of the association’s board of directors, age has taken its toll on Engine 1, a 1976 manual transmission, gasoline-powered engine. The primary problem is a leaking pump.
“Engine 1, at a training exercise, was putting more water on the ground than on the targets,” Muka said. “It struggles to get where it needs to go in any time frame.”
According to Clifford Spatcher, president of the association and Leyden fire chief, replacing the pump would cost between $12,000 and $15,000. Spatcher claims outfitting the truck with all parts necessary to improve its performance, such as a diesel engine and transmission, could cost as much as $100,000.
As an alternative, the association found a 1983 automatic transmission, diesel-powered engine with a five-person cab for sale on Craigslist. It was listed at a dealership in Chicopee after having been retired from Monson Fire Department’s fleet in 2015.
Jacob Louison, a member of the firefighters association, said the 1983 engine would better fit the needs of the department.
“It’s more water, it’s more pump,” Louison said, adding that the current Engine 1 doesn’t have enough space to transport all the necessary rescue equipment.
“Say if we go to a car accident, we can bring one truck instead of two,” he continued. “It consolidates all of our rescue equipment from two trucks into one.”
Plus, the engine is low enough to fit into the Leyden Fire Department garage.
Members of the association tested the engine before purchasing it. The dealer had lowered the price $1,000 to support the engine going to a fire department, rather than for personal use.
“We’re trying to update our equipment for as low a cost as possible for the good of the town, to keep things rolling and to provide better service,” Spatcher said.
The association’s lack of communication with the Selectboard quickly became a point of contention. Association Vice President Brian Pelletier parked the new engine in his driveway on Greenfield Road, which raised questions from residents.
“People in town are asking us what’s going on,” Selectboard member William Galbach said. The Selectboard was not notified of the purchase in advance, which raised concerns about whether the new vehicle is a good fit for the town.
“We need to look at maintenance records, we need to consider the vehicle’s life span,” Michele Giarusso, chairwoman of the Finance Committee, said during an August Selectboard meeting.
“You’re stuck with a truck that may or may not be what we need,” Galbach said to Muka, who also attended the meeting.
Spatcher said the next steps, then, will be for the association to submit a letter to the Selectboard stating its intentions to give the engine to the town. He also intends to submit the vehicle’s maintenance records and a cost analysis of the pros and cons of the purchase. Though Spatcher said the vehicle has no mechanical problems, he intends to get it thoroughly checked by a mechanic at the association’s expense.
Spatcher plans to assemble the package by early 2017 so that the purchase can be reviewed during next May’s special town meeting. The Selectboard has said that, should the town accept the engine as a gift, it will not expand the Fire Department’s fleet. Rather, Spatcher said the current Engine 1 will be auctioned off as surplus property.