Nahant remains eligible for fire truck grant

NAHANT – The town is still in the running for a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program that would pay most of the tab for a $750,000 ladder truck.Fire Chief Edward Hyde said he is hopeful the town will receive the federal grant, which would pay approximately 80 percent of the cost of a new engine.?The first round of rejection letters went out,” Hyde said. “We haven’t been rejected yet and are still in the running. The grant application went to panel review where the panel looks at requests from similar communities to see where the greatest need is. Our ladder truck is a front line piece of equipment that is 32 years old and responds to approximately 500 calls a year so I’m optimistic.”Hyde said the department only has one ladder truck and getting a new one is a top priority for the department. He added that according to National Fire Protection Association guidelines, a front line ladder truck should not be more than 15 years old.?Ours is more than twice that old,” he said. “The aerial ladder passed inspection this year but there were several pages of deficiencies in the truck itself. It is very difficult to get replacement parts when it breaks down due to the age of the vehicle.”Hyde said he expects a new ladder truck to cost $750,000 and the grant could cover as much as $600,000 of that.?My understanding is there is a smaller pool of grant money available this year,” Hyde said. “But we are still optimistic. We will know if we are receiving a grant sometime between now and early May.”