Discord over Wassaic firetruck

WASSAIC — In March, after three years of leaks, one of the Wassaic Fire District’s main firetrucks suffered water tank failure so extensive that the repairs would have cost more than the 22-year-old truck was worth, according to Wassaic Fire Chief Scott Boardman.Instead of repairing the truck, the district’s board decided to look into replacing it.A five-man committee was formed to research the purchase of a new truck. That research included attending several expos around New England.“We put a lot of time and work into it to get a truck that will serve our district well,” said Mark Christiansen, the safety officer for the Wassaic Fire District, who is one of the members of the Firetruck Committee.Christiansen explained that there are several items that the committee made sure the new truck included. One was the technology for compressed air foam. Quoting an article from Firehouse Magazine, Christiansen said that because of the way the foam clings to burning materials, fires can be put out with five times less water than would be possible if only plain water was used.Wassaic does not have any trucks with this technology, but some of the surrounding fire departments do.The new truck would cost in the neighborhood of $475,000.After all of the research and much discussion, the Board of Fire Commissioners unanimously approved the purchase of a new firetruck; it put the issue before Wassaic voters as a public referendum. The vote was on Tuesday, July 26. Out of roughly 1,500 residents in the Wassaic Fire District, only 57 registered voters showed up.The proposed firetruck purchase was defeated 31 to 26.Boardman believes that the main reason the truck was voted down is because the public was given false information by some of the fire company’s board members.During the fire company’s monthly board meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 10, Boardman talked about how he has received several comments and letters from the public about the truck purchase’s impact on the fire company’s budget.The public, according to Boardman, was wrongly informed before the vote that the truck purchase would cause the fire tax to increase by $1,000, or more than six-and-a-half times the current rate.Boardman noted several places in the budget where money has been earmarked for truck purchases and a few other places where money can be moved to finish covering the cost of the new firetruck. “The money is there,” he said.Boardman said that he strongly believes that the budget and fire tax — which he says currently averages around $180 — will not increase at all due to the truck purchase.To put the tax cost in perspective, Boardman explained, “I pay that much a month for my cable bill,” noting the Wassaic department’s budget is the lowest in the county — less than $250,000.Boardman and Christiansen cited several reasons why Wassaic needs the new firetruck.The firetrucks that are still left in the company’s fleet reportedly do not cover the same role that the retired truck performed and are not equipped with all of the equipment the firefighters need to work thoroughly and efficiently.Without the new truck, “the [hamlet] is leaving itself unprotected,” said Boardman. “The commissioners are dragging their feet as if it’s not a big deal, but it is.”The fire commissioners who sit on the fire company’s board are the ones with the power to OK a re-vote on the proposed truck purchase.Boardman said that since the area does not have a fire hydrant system, Wassaic currently holds the lowest possible rating for fire insurance. The fire district’s rating affects how much homeowners pay for home insurance.Boardman said he believes that the new truck might bump up Wassaic’s rating to the next level, “which ultimately will save the taxpayers money because it [could] lower their insurance.”To make matters even more pressing, Boardman cited estimates of what firetrucks are predicted to cost in one year, two years and five years. Each estimate is higher than the one before and drastically more expensive than if the truck was purchased this year.Christiansen agreed. “The longer we wait, the more the truck goes up.”Christiansen also mentioned that the retired truck was already not following the recommendations of the National Fire Protection Association that front-line apparatuses should be less than 20 years old.During the Aug. 10 meeting, the board decided to grant the Firetruck Committee permission to revise the proposal for the truck purchase. The revision will be presented at the next board meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 14. Depending on the board’s decision, it is possible that the truck purchase will go before the Wassaic voters again.“I would hope if it goes to re-vote, people will listen to the facts,” said Christiansen. “Hopefully we’ll get another opportunity, because we surely need this new truck.”