HOULTON, Maine — The town’s fire department has a bit more stopping power, thanks in large part to a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.Houlton Fire Chief Milton Cone said Thursday afternoon that the new $396,000 2018 pumper tanker will greatly improve his department’s ability to suppress fires when needed.
“This vehicle completes our long-range plan for upgrading our equipment,” Cone said. “At one time, in the late 1970s, we had four 1,000 gallon pumpers and a tanker. We now have one pumper, two pumper tankers. So essentially we have three pieces of apparatus that are replacing five units.”
The town also has a ladder truck and several smaller rescue trucks.
Back in October, Houlton town councilors approved purchasing the new pumper tanker from K and T Fire Equipment Sales and Service of Island Falls for $396,052. The rig, which features a Freightliner chassis purchased in Houlton, was constructed in Centreville, New Brunswick. Because of the close proximity, Houlton officials were able to make periodic checks on the rig and make a few tweaks to its design.
The town’s share of the FEMA grant was 5 percent (about $20,000) in local matching funds. Since the department made those tweaks, which included the installation of a safety ladder to access the top of the rig, the final cost to the town was just under $25,000 Cone said.
Funds for the local match came from the town’s Tax Increment Finance account, so no new tax dollars needed to be raised for the purchase.
The new pumper truck replaces a 36-year-old rig that the fire department scrapped and sold for parts two years ago. The 3,000 gallon tank can spray water at rate of 1,250 gallons a minute and features a remote controlled deck gun located on top of the rig.
One feature of the new truck that the department did not have before is the inclusion of a dual foam spray system. The “Class A” foam is used for wood fires, while “Class B” foam is for petroleum based products.
“Our trucks have had singular foam units in the past, but this truck has the capability to do both,” Cone said. “It’s much more versatile in suppressing fires.”
The new rig also came equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) and its own generator.
“That may sound like an unnecessary feature, but when we get requests from our mutual aid towns, we may not know exactly where we are going,” Cone explained of the need for GPS. “The generator can be used to power our Jaws of Life equipment in the event that the primary generator fails.”
The new addition gives the department two such emergency response vehicles. The Houlton Fire Department already has a 2002 pumper tanker, that also was bought from K and T, in addition to a ladder truck and tanker.
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- The town of Houlton has a new 2018 pumper tanker to add to its fleet, thanks in large part to a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant. (Joseph Cyr)
