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Fire director recommends surplusing two aging heavy apparatus to reduce costs and standardize fleet
Summary
Waterford’s fire services director recommended declaring two heavy apparatus surplus—a pumper with engine-block damage and a dedicated heavy rescue—arguing repairs and parts shortages make them expensive to keep. The board debated fleet sizing, reserve levels and resale prospects and approved the surplus recommendation.
Director of Fire Services Christopher Haley told the Board of Selectmen that two heavy fire apparatus — a pumper (asset W51) with severe engine-block damage and a 2010 Ferrara heavy rescue (asset W57) — should be declared surplus because continuing repairs and unique chassis parts make them financially and operationally impractical to retain. Haley said a teardown produced an initial repower estimate of about $79,000 for W51 and that W51 has incurred more than $97,000 in repairs in roughly the last 2½ years.
Why it matters: Haley said the fleet currently includes 11 heavy apparatus and that surplusing these two would reduce that number to nine while preserving two reserve engines. He argued that standardizing apparatus — reducing the number of different manufacturers and assigning “engine companies” to stations rather than fixed asset IDs — will lower maintenance, insurance and depreciation costs and improve rotation and availability.
Board members pressed Haley on the calculations and operational risks. One selectman asked how often the town would need to replace a frontline pumper and how quickly costs are rising; Haley said apparatus prices have jumped sharply over the last decade and cited ongoing federal fact‑finding into industry consolidation that has lengthened build times. Haley cautioned that while resale value might be in the $50,000–$100,000 range for the rescue truck, the market for that type of vehicle is limited.
Supporters pointed to recent work to refurbish other trucks (a rebuild on W11) and to fleet-ad hoc committee work that has focused on prioritizing critical apparatus for repair and rotation. Several members urged caution — one moved to table the surplus recommendation to allow fleet management to re-run forecasts given rising replacement costs — but withdrew the motion after further discussion about reserve levels and the department’s deployment plan.
Outcome and next steps: The board approved the recommendation to surplus the two vehicles by voice vote. Haley said he will continue to provide fleet-use data and that the department will keep at least two reserve engines on hand while pursuing a standardized, company‑based approach to assignments and equipment configuration. The Selectmen asked staff to include resale estimates and updated fleet-plan impacts in future briefings.
Quotes
"W51 has incurred over $97,000 in repairs in the past 2½ years," Director Christopher Haley said, arguing a full repower was the likely next major expense.
"By downsizing the fleet responsibly, it helps us direct savings and costs toward things that will get us a much better ROI, like people," Haley added.
What the record shows: The discussion included detailed operational counts (seven engines, three aerial devices and one heavy rescue in current inventory) and tradeoffs between keeping multi‑purpose engines versus single‑purpose rescue trucks. Members asked for and received broker resale estimates and reiterated that the department should keep two reserve engines because of long build times and supply uncertainty.
This item will be reflected in the fleet fund and asset disposition process; staff will return with any required surplus notices, sale procedures and updated fleet-plan projections.
