News & Features
September 2005

SEPTEMBER 12 DEBT EXCLUSION
Vote YES: Keep our equipment up to date
The members of the Brookfield Fire Battalion

CLICK HERE FOR OPPOSING VIEWPOINT

On Monday, Sept. 12, you will be asked a very important question when you enter the ballot box. We are asking you to support the request of the Fire Department to improve our fire protection capabilities by voting YES.

The fire engine being replaced is a 1971 Maxim, designated Engine 2. Engine 2 is the oldest of the three engines owned by the town, the newest of which is 18 years old. Engine 2 was purchased new in 1971. Thirty-four years have passed since then. The Fire Department is expected to deal with a wider variety of incidents than ever before. This requires more equipment to be carried by our trucks. Four years ago at the age of 30, it became no longer certifiable. This means that it is no longer recognized by the insurance industry. Certification of fire apparatus can lower our property insurance rates. Testing of the water pump in the truck is also not possible. The testing company refuses to perform the test as they feel it would destroy the either the engine or pump rendering the truck completely useless. The new engine would arrive certified and able to pump water at full capacity. Voters recognized the obvious need to replace Engine 2 at town meeting last spring, now it’s a matter of financing. Prices of fire engines continue to climb. Continuing to put this purchase off will cost the town more in the long run.

Engine 2 is an open two-man cab, which means that it has no roof. Without a roof there is little environmental or safety protection. In the years past, firefighters could ride on the back step of the truck; due to department and insurance regulations, this is no longer acceptable. A modern fire engine would provide an enclosed cab for a crew of up to five firefighters to respond in safely. This would be Brookfield’s first fire engine that provides such protection for its personnel, an important safety feature that other area firefighters take for granted. Unlike firefighters who have evolved and adapted to meet the new and changing responsibilities of the Fire Department, the truck has a very limited capability to do so. Today, fire apparatus is built to do more than put out fires. Our new engine will be designed with things like an integrated hydraulic generator and hydraulic lines mounted on reels to significantly reduce the amount of time needed to set up extrication equipment at motor vehicle accidents. Current apparatus standards provide other advantages including improved visibility, a larger firefighting capacity, increased reliability, lower maintenance costs, foam capabilities, improved storage space, and other safety and user-friendly features. The safety features in new apparatus include many things we take for granted in our own cars like safety belts, anti-lock brakes and a roof.

The Fire Chief has managed to keep all of our small equipment up to date through careful use of his budget and his skills at obtaining many grants. The grants deserve significantly more credit than the budget. The department’s budget is only 0.8% of the overall town budget. The department’s members also deserve significant credit for helping to control the department’s costs. They voluntarily perform significant amounts of maintenance, repairs and upgrades in addition to emergency work, saving the town a great deal of money.

In summary, we need to replace our museum-quality antique fire engine with a modern fire engine. The new fire engine allows the department to respond quicker, safer and with more equipment. This improvement will allow the department to perform its job faster, safer and more efficiently than ever before. The unfortunate problem with purchasing a new engine is that with only 0.8% of the overall budget, the Fire Department must obtain additional funds, which is why this debt exclusion is necessary. The assessors’ office estimates a tax rate increase of 30 cents per thousand in fiscal year 2007. The tax impact on a property valued at $200,000, for instance, would be $60 in the first year. This will drop 1.0 – 1.5 cents per year over the next four years. The loan term would likely be five years. Support your community and vote YES on Monday, Sept. 12.