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Seymour fire chief warns maintenance shortfalls, asks for $180,000 in capital for SCBA station and extra gear
Summary
Chief Edwards told the board the fire department’s operating budget needs an 11.86% increase to cover rising training, medical and maintenance costs and requested $180,000 in capital — about $80,000 for an SCBA refill station and $100,000 for second sets of turnout gear to meet new state cancer‑safety expectations.
Chief Edwards, head of the Seymour Fire Department, told the board the department is seeking an 11.86% increase to its operating budget to keep up with rising training, parts and labor costs and to cover sharply higher maintenance needs.
Edwards said the department’s maintenance account — which he asked to increase to $85,000 from a prior lower allocation — is already overdrawn this year because the fleet is aging and repair prices have risen. “It is February 18th and I am in the red in maintenance,” Edwards said, noting a truck was out of service and awaiting an estimate.
The chief described a stretched capital timeline: manufacturers are taking two to three years to deliver new apparatus. He said the town has a…
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