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Select Board endorses fire apparatus assessment, asks architects to refine station designs
Summary
A joint report from the Fire Apparatus Assessment Committee recommended keeping Carlisle's on-call staffing and upgrading station bays to fit current apparatus; the Select Board asked Tecton Architects to refine concepts and noted bay costs of about $800,000–$1 million.
The Carlisle Select Board on July 22 endorsed findings from the Fire Apparatus Assessment Committee (FAAC) and asked Tecton Architects to refine station design concepts to accommodate the town’s existing apparatus.
The FAAC, presented by Chair Scott Triola, reviewed Carlisle’s fleet — including Engine 3 (first response), Engine 4 (water supply), Engine 5 (primary tanker), Engine 6 (brush/winter response), Engine 7 (secondary tanker, 35 years old) and Ladder 9 (purchased 2001) — and recommended maintaining the town’s on‑call staffing model rather than moving to a combination or full career department. Triola said the department’s reliance on transporting water, because Carlisle lacks a municipal water supply, “requires additional customized apparatus and more manpower than towns with municipal water systems.”
Why it matters: FAAC estimated that switching to a combination force could cost the town roughly $1 million more per year and a full career force more than $2.5 million annually. Those projected operating-cost differences underpinned the committee’s recommendation to retain current service levels and staffing structure while addressing facility and apparatus needs.
Tecton Architects representative Matt Salad gave order‑of‑magnitude cost guidance for facility work: a new apparatus bay would be in the range of $800,000 to $1 million, while a pre‑engineered metal building for additional storage was estimated at about $750 per square foot. The committee also recommended the new station design allow for two ambulances (with space to add a third in future), bring the command vehicle Car 10 inside the station, and provide a separate climate‑controlled structure for UTVs, trailers and ancillary equipment.
Board Member David Model asked whether non‑bay portions of the project could be scaled back to control overall cost. The Select Board endorsed FAAC recommendations and authorized Tecton to refine the design concepts for presentation at the board’s August 12 meeting.
The FAAC formally adjourned its portion of the meeting after the presentation; the motion to adjourn carried on a 5‑0 roll call.
