Rutland volunteer fire department approves brush‑skid, air‑bottle purchases and raises out‑of‑town membership cap

The Rutland Town Select Board on May 20 approved equipment purchases requested by the volunteer fire department, changed membership limits and accepted a new junior firefighter candidate.

Fire Chief Chris Clark briefed the board about the department’s recent open house and then requested three expenditures from the department’s depreciation account: a brush‑fire skid unit for pickup trucks priced at $12,415 (40 weeks lead time), five replacement air cylinders for self‑contained breathing apparatus totaling $7,014, and discussion of dedication of carryover funds toward a cascade breathing air system later this year.

A motion to purchase the 150‑gallon brush skid and to fund the purchase from the fire equipment depreciation account passed on a board voice vote, recorded as 4‑0. The board then voted 4‑0 to purchase the five air bottles (approximately $1,400 each) on a staggered schedule to avoid a single large outlay.

The board also approved a change to the department’s membership rules: the number of permitted out‑of‑town volunteer firefighters will increase from 10 to 15 to help address recruitment shortfalls. The motion carried 4‑0. Chief Clark presented an application for a 16‑year‑old, Earl Saunders, to join as a junior firefighter; the board approved the junior firefighter application and signatures were collected to complete the appointment.

Chief Clark and board members discussed projected carryover funds and a planned $87,000 cascade system; the department said it has raised roughly $13,500 toward that purchase and proposed using carryover or capital improvement balances to complete funding. No final board appropriation for the cascade system was taken at the May 20 meeting.