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Hampstead fire department outlines multiyear capital plan, seeks PPE and SCBA funding
Summary
At an April 16 CIP meeting, the Hampstead Fire Department presented a capital plan spanning through 2034 that seeks funding for structural turnout gear, ballistic PPE, SCBA replacements and vehicle replacements amid rising apparatus costs; the chief will take the 2026 request to the Select Board.
At its April 16 meeting, the Capital Improvement Program Committee reviewed the Hampstead Fire Department’s capital improvement plan, which lays out equipment and vehicle replacement needs projected through 2034. Fire Chief Mike presented the plan and asked the committee to advance funding recommendations to the Select Board.
The department’s 2026 request includes four sets of structural firefighter protective clothing ($25,000), six sets of ballistic personal protective equipment ($21,000) and lockers and racks ($12,000). Chief Mike said ballistic equipment is intended to allow fire and EMS personnel to enter “warm zones” in active-shooter incidents to provide life-saving care while police secure the scene. The department also flagged hose replacement; current hose is about 25 years old and past recommended service life.
Chief Mike outlined additional equipment requests: a $15,000 battery-powered telescoping vehicle extrication tool for the first-out engine; installation of diesel-exhaust capture (air-back) systems in the station to improve health and safety; and replacement of an outdated fire alarm panel and detectors in parts of the building. He described a multiyear SCBA replacement plan that would buy 12 units in one year and 10 units in the following year.
The presentation included an apparatus replacement schedule that treats engines as 15-year assets and other apparatus on roughly 20-year cycles. Committee members were told engine prices have risen sharply—cited in the presentation as about $1.05 million today versus roughly $560,000 in 2020—primarily because of emission requirements and industry backlogs; estimated trade-in value for old apparatus was stated near $10,000. The department noted it will refine inflation and cost adjustments closer to procurement.
The committee did not make final funding decisions at the meeting. Next steps recorded by the committee include Fire Chief Mike taking the 2026 capital request to the Select Board for review and the CIP committee re-evaluating and revoting project priorities this spring so the Select Board can be presented with a prioritized list.
The meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m.
