Crime & Safety

Ledyard Fire Co. Requests Two New Trucks

Decision to go out to bid follows debate over how much equipment, how to pay for it.

Replacement of firefighting apparatus in town has long been done on a rotating basis, financed by a Capital Non-Recurring Account into which the town pays about $150,000 annually. Under normal circumstances, the system has worked well for years.

But these aren’t normal circumstances.

The Ledyard Fire Company is requesting two new vehicles – a combination engine-tanker and a modified brush truck – to replace aging vehicles in its fleet of six trucks. The two specialized vehicles are actually intended to reduce the number of trucks that would need to be maintained by the department.

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The combination engine-tanker, for example, would provide for functions now covered by two vehicles, a 1989 Ford E-One Engine and a 1991 E-One Tanker – both of which have a service life of 20 years.

In addition, the department is hoping to purchase a rapid intervention “Quick Attack” truck, which would provide for functions now performed by three vehicles, including the department’s 1989 Ford F-350 brush truck, its 1989 Ford/E-One Engine and a 1999 Ford Expedition EMS/Command vehicle.

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Allyn questioned purchases

The fire department made its request to the Finance Committee earlier this year and was preparing to go out to bid for the new equipment when questions about the purchases were raised by Mayor Fred B. Allyn Jr.

Allyn said he really had two questions: How much equipment does Ledyard need, and how will the town pay for it?

“Do we really need two heavy rescue trucks, one on each end of town?” Allyn asked in July, claiming that Ledyard has more pieces of equipment than the city of New London.

The other question was a direct reference to the current balance in the Capital Non-Recurring Account – around $574,000, according to Allyn. Estimates for the new combination engine-tanker are $500,000 to $700,000, and as much as $250,000 for the new Quick Attack truck.

Historically, Allyn said, the town pays cash for its firefighting equipment. “It’s a choice, but I think most residents want to continue to live within our means and not go out and borrow more money,” he said.

“Nothing is easy,” Allyn said this week. “I understand the fire chief is just as passionate about his fire department as I am about the town. The trouble is, we don’t have a million dollars sitting in an account.”

Ledyard Assistant Fire Chief John Doucette said the equipment needs of the department are not randomly set, but are determined by the National Fire Protection Agency. He said the request for specialized vehicles was specifically made to address the size of the town’s fleet.

“The Ledyard Fire Company realized that fleet reduction is necessary,” concludes a fire company proposal. “We feel by taking these steps we will save annual overhead operating costs, cut by a large percentage the necessity of the town to fund apparatus replacement CNR accounts and set us up for the future.”

At a meeting this week of the town’s Public Safety Commission, it was agreed that the two new vehicles would be put out to bid. At Allyn’s request, however, the specifications will first be forwarded to the federal Gereral Services Administration, through which surplus vehicles and equipment can sometimes be purchased at a substantial discount.

The fire department, meanwhile, will seek buyers for its old trucks, with the proceeds to be used toward the purchase of replacement vehicles. 

Doucette said the company would like to get around $20,000/OBO for the 1989 brush truck.

“It only has 15,000 miles on it,” he said, although it also has some electrical issues. But with its 300-gallon tank, he added, “it would be good on a farm.” 


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