Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fire Department Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fire chief outlines 25-year replacement plan and reserve deposits for apparatus
Summary
Fire Chief Benjamin LaRoche reviewed a CIP memo proposing corrected fund codes and a 25-year replacement schedule for Bristol’s fire apparatus, recommending annual deposits to an equipment reserve and continued use of revolving funds to limit taxpayer impact.
Fire Chief Benjamin LaRoche told the Capital Improvements Program Committee on June 30 that he has updated the department’s capital plan to correct fund names and to rely on revolving and reserve funds for vehicle and equipment replacement. He said the changes should reduce direct taxpayer burdens by stabilizing purchases through ambulance revenues and planned deposits.
LaRoche described specific fund-name corrections the committee agreed to record in the CIP worksheet, including the Ambulance Replacement Revolving Fund, Police Details Revolving Fund, and Transfer Station Improvements Revolving Fund, and asked that the spreadsheet add a Fund Code Key entry noting Revolving Fund = RF. He said those coding clarifications reflect how the department already budgets revolving and capital reserve accounts.
The chief presented a multi-decade replacement inventory and estimated costs, noting recent actions: the department completed SCBA replacement earlier this year using available funds and a competitive bid that came in about $20,000 under estimate; a Tahoe vehicle purchase was advanced to avoid expected tariff-driven price increases. LaRoche listed planned replacement estimates for major apparatus, including a ladder truck ($2,100,000), Engine 4 ($2,650,000), Engine 2 ($1,000,000), and multiple ambulances (ranging from $433,000 to $692,000), plus equipment such as radios and hydraulic tool sets.
To fund future purchases, LaRoche proposed a schedule of annual deposits to the FD Equipment Reserve Fund that begins at $50,000 in 2026 and phases up through 2043 (rising to as much as $150,000 in later years). He explained that the department uses revolving funds for ambulances and some vehicles and the Fire Equipment Capital Reserve Fund for command vehicles, utility trucks, rescue rigs and tools, and SCBA purchases.
Committee members discussed the logistics of ordering apparatus in advance of replacement years, fund balances and deposit sources, and whether some older units—such as a previously considered Engine 2 repurposing—should be reassessed at the time of replacement. LaRoche also noted smaller capital items that fall under the CIP minimum but are often bought in multi-unit batches (for example, water rescue suits), and said planning through capital reserves accommodates those purchases.
LaRoche additionally raised facility needs for the Public Safety Building—roofing, HVAC and fire alarm panels—and said he is preparing a town-building maintenance spreadsheet at the Town Administrator’s request. Town Administrator Christina Goodwin said she is gathering building-level information from department heads and will include it in a Town Building Maintenance Plan for the current budget cycle.
The committee thanked LaRoche for the memo and asked that the recommended fund-code and deposit changes be incorporated into the CIP worksheet for future review.
