The Lyndeborough Fire Department is asking Town Meeting voters to approve the replacement of its 1984 tanker, using capital reserve funds and a grant.
“It’s been a good truck, it’s just tired,” firefighter Mark Chase of Lyndeborough said.
The town’s current tanker holds about 2,600 gallons of water. Once, it had a front-mounted pump to pump the water to the truck, but last year, the pump broke and hasn’t been replaced in anticipation of replacing the truck this year.
“With a combination [tanker and pump] you can go to a water source and pump it and store it with one piece of equipment,” Smith said. “You can get to a scene quicker.”
The truck can be operated with a two-man crew, which Smith said is crucial for a small volunteer department that struggles to have consistent firefighters available during the daylight hours, when the crew is at their normal jobs.
The total cost of the new tanker is $280,000. The town has currently saved enough in its capital reserve funds to pay for the new tanker without any funds raised through taxation, but Smith said the department has also applied for a grant from the Department of Environmental Services which could pay for up to 25 percent of the cost of a new truck, if approved.
Smith said the department tries to replace its equipment at least 25 years, which the current tanker has far outlived. The department will replace it with a new, 2021 vehicle.
Residents vote on all warrant articles at Town Meeting, which for Lyndeborough, is scheduled for March 10 at 10 a.m. in the upper floor of Citizens’ Hall.