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Fire department reports multiple apparatus issues, training activity and budget status
Summary
At its April 21 meeting the commission heard that the department responded to 84 calls in March (46 classified as emergencies), is spending 67% of its operating budget as of April 1, and faces multiple apparatus problems including a disabled Rescue 5 (PTO issue), tanker dump-shoot and electrical faults, and diagnostic issues on Ladder 3 and Engine 1.
Department leaders used the April 21 meeting to highlight operations, training and ongoing equipment problems that could affect service delivery and budget needs.
Fire Chief Basset reported the department answered 84 calls for service in March, 12 of which were initially coded as emergencies and later downgraded; the record shows 46 emergency responses and mutual-aid activations. The chief also reported a fatal vehicle fire on Mayor Parkway that became a state police investigation. He said the department's operating budget stood at about 67% expended as of April 1.
Equipment problems were a focal point. Staff reported Rescue 5 is out of service while technicians address a PTO issue that affected the generator; tanker apparatus have dump-shoot actuators and electrical concerns; Ladder 3 has a check-engine light that a vendor suspects may be a coolant-sensor or sender issue; and Engine 1 has erratic oil-pressure gauge behavior that is undergoing diagnosis. Department staff described pump testing that showed about 700 parts-per-million performance and noted some apparatus are currently running below expected capacity. Vendors and on-scene providers have been engaged but at least one vendor canceled a scheduled service visit, slowing repairs.
Training and preparedness items were also highlighted: the department completed after-action reviews of recent multi-alarm fires, held an active-shooter and hostile-event review, ran master-stream and aerial-operations exercises, and sent 12 members to an out-of-county Westchester County class. Lieutenant Dennis completed Fire Instructor I certification, which the department described as part of officer development.
Commissioners discussed repair options, costs and potential timing for apparatus replacement when a new engine is delivered, and they noted the town council had not yet finalized the broader municipal budget. The chief reported that fire-service stakeholders have begun talks with federal officials, including the Federal Trade Commission, on apparatus manufacturing standards and possible EPA engagement at a national level.
What happens next: commissioners flagged the need to prioritize in-house service before the fiscal year ends and to reconcile apparatus repair and replacement timing with town council budget decisions. No specific supplemental funding was approved at the meeting.
