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Orford fire chief cites tariff-driven challenges for rescue truck bids; police report 172 April calls
Summary
Fire Chief Sanborn told the Selectboard vendors are cautious about bidding on a planned rescue truck because tariff uncertainty affects price estimates; the board also heard the fire department's RTK update and that the police department answered 172 calls in April and is drafting an animal-control job description.
Fire Chief Sanborn reported the Orford Fire Department responded to 13 calls in April, including seven medical calls, two motor-vehicle crashes, a brush fire and an odor investigation. He said four members attended one-day training sessions, two attended two-day training and another member is scheduled for training the weekend of May 17.
Sanborn told the Selectboard that vendors have been cautious about submitting bids for the department's planned rescue truck because tariff-related price volatility makes vendors reluctant to risk under- or over-estimating; he said he is preparing a vendor-rating document to help standardize the process. When Selectboard member Charles Smith asked about grant timing, Sanborn said one grant will not be accepted until the end of June 2025 and a second grant application cannot be submitted until June 20, 2025.
The board also received an update on an open-records (Right-to-Know) request involving the fire chief's email account. The IT contractor pulled 3,389 emails to be reviewed; Town Counsel requested an additional 90 days to review and redact confidential information. The requester had been asked to narrow the scope, but the minutes state she preferred a broad set of emails from January 1, 2024 to present. The administrative assistant said she will draft a Right-to-Know policy and a request form to encourage future requests to be topic-specific.
Police Chief Bachus told the board the police department responded to 172 calls for service in April. The department conducted 46 motor-vehicle stops as part of a patrol safety program; of 55 traffic stops reported that month, 12 resulted in summonses. Bachus said he is reviewing updated policies and procedures, creating a job description for an animal-control position, and that the speed cart will be returned to service after charging.
The minutes do not include verbatim quotes; the account above paraphrases the reported actions and timelines recorded in the minutes. Next steps recorded: Chief Sanborn will continue work on the vendor-rating document and grant applications; Town Counsel will complete the RTK review within the additional 90-day window; the administrative assistant will draft a standardized RTK form and policy.
