Why is the town considering debt exclusions? 

The Wendell Fire Departments current tanker is a 1986 R-model Mack that was purchased used and modified to be a fire department tanker. This model of Mack is large, slow, notoriously difficult to drive, and does not meet NFPA 1901 standard for fire apparatus design, function, and safety. The tanker carries 3,300 gallons of water, where the center of the water tank is approximately 7 feet off the ground, meaning it has a really high center of gravity and is therefore inherently unstable. Due to its age, the tanker is not equipped with modern safety features designed to protect the firefighters tasked with driving the truck and if driven at all, should really only be driven by someone with a Commercial Driver's License who drives this model of truck regularly. The current tanker does not have a fire pump (it cannot fill itself or be used as a fire attach apparatus), is not configured to carry any firefighting equipment (hose, air packs, ladders, etc.), and thus serves the sole purpose of transporting water. The needs of the Town now, and requirements of the modern-day firefighting community, are very different than when the current tanker was put into service. Many of the differences in modern fire apparatus are due to safety upgrades (similar to modern cars), regulatory changes, environmental regulations and evolving technology. There have been vast changes in how we fight fires due to the many changes in building codes and materials used to make our houses and all the things in our houses.  Fires burn much faster and reach hotter temperatures quicker than they did 40 years ago, necessitating the need to rapidly apply a large amount of water quickly.

​

The tanker the fire department proposes to purchase, is a 2025 E-One, purpose built 2,000-gallon tanker/pumper which is smaller, lighter, and has a shorter wheelbase than the current tanker, resulting in a more nimble apparatus that is safer for your firefighters to operate. Being a tanker/pumper means the proposed new truck has the primary capability of carrying water to an incident as a tanker, but can also operate as a pumper and be used as a fire attack/suppression apparatus. This multipurpose apparatus will be equipped with an integrated fire pump capable of not only filling itself, but also has high enough discharge capacity to operate multiple fire attack hose lines. The proposed apparatus will meet current NFPA standards, be constructed by a reputable manufacturer who specializes in building fire trucks, and will be configured to carry a portable dump tank, ladders, air packs and spare bottles, approximately 1000 feet of large diameter hose to move water between fire trucks, and an array of smaller fire attack hand lines, as well as other firefighting tools. This smaller truck will not duplicate or replace the capabilities of Wendell's current fire attack apparatus (Engine 1; 1,000 gallon water tank and 1,250 gallon per minute fire attack pump), but does add depth to our fire response capability and provide a backup apparatus at times when the almost 20-year-old Engine 1 is out of service for maintenance; currently if Engine 1 were to be down for repair, we have no fire suppression apparatus available and therefore rely on out of town mutual aid partners.

In summary, the current fire department tanker is unsafe to operate and its capability as a fire truck is limited to carrying water. The proposed new tanker/pumper would be safer for our firefighters to operate and would have the capability to operate as a tanker and as a fire attack apparatus. The purchase of this new apparatus would complement, and add depth to, the fire departments existing apparatus (Engine 1, Brush 1) and ensure fire suppression coverage well into the future.