GILL — A 1987 fire engine, one of the oldest trucks in the Fire Department’s fleet, may be replaced this year, if Gill is approved for a competitive grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
This grant application is only the latest instance of Gill’s ongoing work of replacing its oldest fire trucks with newer ones as funding allows.
The Gill Fire Department’s fleet — five trucks and a boat — now includes two vehicles over 30 years old that Fire Chief Gene Beaubien mentioned as being ready for replacement. In August, Gill replaced a 40-year-old truck that had been the Fire Department’s oldest vehicle.
In general, the vehicles are only supposed to last 30 years, Beaubien said. But financial strain on the town has pushed the Fire Department to use its vehicles longer than recommended.
And, when money does become available to replace a vehicle, the town has tended to reduce costs by buying used vehicles, Beaubien said.
The truck replaced in August was a 1979 tanker. Gill replaced it with a 2010 tanker, paid for with about $150,000 from the town’s “Northfield Mount Hermon donations” account, said Town Administrator Ray Purington.
The 1979 truck was sold at auction last month. The sale closed Feb. 2 for $2,700.
“I’m sorry to see it go, but it needs to go,” Beaubien said at the time.
However, if Gill is approved for FEMA money to replace its 1987 truck this year, it will have to be replaced with a new vehicle, Purington said; FEMA would not be interested in buying used equipment. He guessed this would cost at least $400,000, more likely upwards of $500,000.
“But I haven’t bought one lately,” he added.
The 1987 truck has been slated for replacement for several years. This will be the second or third time Gill has applied for the same grant, Beaubien said. The other times, he said, the town was told that it had been outcompeted by other towns with even older trucks in more urgent need of replacement.
“As our trucks age, hopefully it brings us up in the priority list,” said Selectboard member Greg Snedeker.
The FEMA application is due by March 15. Beaubien said he does not know when Gill will receive a response.
“It’s the federal government,” he explained.
After this 1987 truck is eventually replaced, Beaubien said he expects the next on the list to be a 1985 brush truck.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.