Mason Fire Department Replaces an Engine

Mason, New Hampshire, May 24, 2022 —

We wanted to take a moment to share an issue that came up and an explanation for why and how it was handled.

In order to be sure we are providing adequate fire protection to our citizens, all of our equipment, pumps, hoses, nozzles, and ladders, have to be tested annually to be sure they are performing to standard. On April 20th 2022, a pump service test was conducted on Engine 3, a 1990 L9000 and our oldest engine. Engine 3 has an obsolete front mounted pump that is no longer manufactured and parts are unavailable for any kind of repair. The pump is supposed to flow at 1250 gallons per minute, however, it will only produce 300 gallons per minute. This means the truck would not perform to the standard needed for structural firefighting and would endanger the firefighters, property, and public.

When this happened, it put us in a pretty big spot. A brand-new engine starts at $600,000 for a base model. The least impactful and most fiscally responsible option was to buy a used 1998 Freightliner engine from the N. Walpole Fire District for $40,000. There will be an expenditure of $10,000 for hoses and nozzles, as the ones in current use will not work on this truck and are not to standard, and $5,000 in minor pump repairs identified on inspection. These expenditures were all used as leverage to negotiate the price. The funds were available in the truck capital expenditure warrant article account and will leave us with a reserve.

The newly purchased truck has a Hale pump that is still serviceable and parts are still readily available. The truck has around 15,000 miles on it, and has maintenance records that were inspected by myself and our pump repair person. We expect to get up to 10 years of service out of this apparatus since the pump is serviceable, verified by our repair person, and the vehicle is in such good condition. This will give us time to get our replacement plan in motion, which includes working with a grant writer.

This is part of the master plan of the fire department to update equipment to increase safety, reduce costs for maintenance, reduce the need for emergency replacement situations like this, and increase our abilities to provide a higher level of service to the Town of Mason residents while being fiscally responsible for the town’s funds. If there are any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call me at 603-487-7062 or 603-878-2208.

Thank you,

Anthony T. Burns
Fire Chief
Town of Mason Fire Department