Swampscott fire chief heading to S.C. for possible deal on pumper

SWAMPSCOTT – If you go to South Carolina, you might be able to get a deal on a fire truck.The fire department has been trying to replace its 22-year-old pumper truck for years but the town only appropriated $300,000 for a new pumper, which leaves the department in a quandary since new pumpers cost upwards of $500,000.In May 2008, Town Meeting approved borrowing up to $300,000 to purchase a firetruck but at the time fire department officials said a truck that meets the necessary specifications would cost upwards of $400,000.Fire Chief Michael Champion said to buy that same truck today would cost approximately $550,000 and another $30,000 for equipment. He said the increase in the price is due to higher costs and new state standards governing firetrucks.”They (Capital Improvements Committee) didn’t like the price we gave them,” he said. “But you can’t buy anything for $300,000. I was directed to seek alternatives – to seek out demonstration models, used, pumpers, etc., so that’s the direction we were heading.”Champion said he is hopeful the department can get a replacement “sooner rather than later” because the old pumper is costing thousands of dollars a year to maintain and repair so he is looking for a pump truck in unusual places including Hilton Head, S.C.Town Administrator Andrew Maylor said the selectmen have authorized Champion to go to South Carolina to check out the vehicle.”The chief has been instructed to go kick the tires,” he said. “My job is to communicate with those folks down there and negotiate a price for the truck and add ons if we decide to go forward.”Maylor said if the town decided to purchase this pumper it could save the town $100,000 from what it would cost buying a comparable vehicle through traditional routes.”This is pretty creative,” he said. “Everyone agrees we need a fire truck but we also need to be cognizant of fiscal constraints.”Champion explained the fire department in Hilton Head purchased 10 new pump trucks and decided it was only going to keep eight. He said the pump truck is different from the one the department was originally looking at but he is optimistic it would meet the needs of the town. He said the department in Hilton Head is asking $340,000 and approximately $30,000 for add ons, which include the electronics for radios, hydrant valves and other necessary equipment.”This one has an aluminum body, not steel,” he said. “It also has a smaller capacity tank than the one the department was looking at but we can live with that. But this is not a done deal. We’re open to all options, that’s what I’ve been instructed to do by the selectmen.”Champion said he is encouraged the town has given him the authority to look at the pumper.”This is just one piece out there,” he said. “Now we have the option to look at equipment instead of sitting dead in the water so this is encouraging.”In 2008, former Fire Chief Richard Carmody told members of the Capital Improvement Committee (CAP) the department would not be able to purchase a fire truck that would meet its needs for less than $400,000. But members of the committee spent almost an hour at that meeting discussing how fire apparatus is dispatched and questioning whether it is necessary to send fire apparatus to a medical aid call. As a result of that meeting with the former chief, CAP recommended Town Meeting approve borrowing $300,000 for the vehicle, which it did.