Southborough fire chief seeks PFAS‑free gear, vehicle and brush‑truck refurbishment in 10‑year capital plan

Fire Chief Jake told the Capital Improvement and Planning Committee on Nov. 3 that the department’s immediate capital priorities are personal protective equipment, a prevention/command vehicle and mechanical work to extend the life of the brush truck.

"This request would be to buy some more PFAS free gear and it would bring our entire department into PFAS free gear for their primary set of structural turnout gear," Jake said, describing a $40,000 FY27 request to move daily‑use structural gear away from PFAS‑containing shells. He said older gear would be kept as reserve until the sets reached end of life.

The chief requested approximately $80,000 for a fire prevention/command vehicle. He discussed the possibility of an electric vehicle (for example, a Ford Lightning) and said Facilities and the town’s green‑community standards may allow reassigning an older town vehicle into the fleet rather than buying an additional car outright.

On the brush truck, Jake proposed a light refurbishment estimated at roughly $60,000 to service the diesel exhaust system and other mechanical items and thereby extend the truck’s service life from a 15‑year replacement cycle to as much as 20 years. He said a new brush truck would cost about $350,000. The chief emphasized the operational value of the brush truck: it can access off‑pavement sites and is the town’s primary apparatus for brush/forest fires. "We're able to...take care of them due to having a truck like this," he said, adding the department typically responds to about three to four brush incidents of note per year.

For FY28 and beyond, the chief listed potential requests including a mobile command unit (EM‑1), a hazmat trailer, a light tower, thermal imagers and replacement hose. He said some items may be grant‑funded (he reported continuing applications to federal programs) and that regional dispatch plans could alter longer‑term radio or dispatch equipment needs.

The chief also noted practical procurement constraints: ambulance replacement lead times are long (often 24 months or more), which compresses the replacement schedule, and emerging emission‑control systems in diesel apparatus add maintenance complexity.

The committee thanked the chief for the concise presentation and said it will weigh the Fire Department’s requests along with other departmental submissions as it develops priorities for the capital plan.