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Alton selectmen approve $108,500 in fire department capital spending and ambulance repairs
Summary
The board authorized multiple expenditures recommended by the Fire Chief — $50,500 from the Fire Department Capital Equipment Fund, $43,000 from the ambulance revolving fund, and $15,000 from the Fire Department Building Improvement Fund — to cover equipment replacement, vehicle repairs and station upgrades.
The Town of Alton Board of Selectmen on June 24 approved a package of capital expenditures requested by the fire department totaling $108,500 across three accounts to replace aging gear, repair ambulance corrosion, and pay for station improvements.
Fire Chief Keith presented a line-by-line list of items the department identified during an inventory of equipment and projects that had been delayed because the town operated under a default budget. The board voted to allow the chief to use $50,500 from the Fire Department Capital Equipment Fund, $43,000 from the ambulance revolving fund and $15,000 from the Fire Department Building Improvement Fund to cover the items as presented.
Among the items described: renovation work to reconfigure bunk rooms and repair a water-damaged bathroom in the central station (requested amount: $15,000); work on an ambulance aluminum box to strip, treat corrosion and repaint (quote in discussion: about $30,000 for the box work; the board approved spending $43,000 from the ambulance revolving fund to cover ambulance-related items overall); replacement of obsolete mobile radios (estimate discussed ~ $16,000 for two mobile radios and one base unit); replacement of five sets of turnout gear that will expire (roughly $4,000 per set); replacement of ice-rescue suits (about $1,000 each; total $4,000, proposed split between ambulance revolving fund and fire equipment fund); and replacement of an aging inflatable rescue boat with a five-chamber craft.
Chief Keith said the ambulance’s aluminum box showed “significant corrosion” along the lower two-thirds of the body and that the department sought repairs to extend the vehicle’s service life rather than replace the apparatus at far greater cost. He told the board the department had one detailed quote from a specialist (Autotronics) and was willing to seek additional quotes if the board preferred.
The chief also noted that five sets of turnout gear are due to expire by the end of 2025 and that replacement was necessary to maintain NFPA compliance; delivery lead times can be three to six months. The board approved the package of expenditures by voice vote.
