New Pumper/Rescue 403 Now "10-8"
(Lamoine) — After two town meeting votes in favor, the bidding process, and the long wait for construction, the Lamoine Fire Station now houses its newest truck. The 2005 rescue/pumper is in service. Firefighters have been trying out the new truck, and it's already rolled on a couple of calls, including a flooded basement call overnight after town meeting voting. The truck features a lot of storage space for rescue gear, a 750-gallon tank and a 1,250 gallons per minute pump. It has automatic transmission and power steering and brakes. Ladders are stored on a hydraulic arm which raises them to the top of the truck, out of the way of storage , compartments, giving much more room for gear storage.
The truck cost a total of $200,000. Voters twice approved using $25,000 from the fire truck reserve fund, accepting a $50,000 from the Lamoine Volunteer Fire Department, and borrowing $125,000 over 5-years to pay for the truck, which arrived in late February. |
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The New Rescue 403
(TopLeft) - Lamoine Rescue 403 is in service. The 2005 International chassis and MetalFab body arrived in late February. The body was constructed by MetalFab Ltd. of Centreville , NB and Blaine , ME which has built the last three Lamoine fire trucks.
(Top Right) - Painter David Gross of Penobscot puts the finishing touches on the lettering for the new truck.
First Call
(Botton) The new truck on the scene of a traffic accident on Jordan River Road
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Selectmen-Fire Department Debate Truck
(Lamoine) - Tempers flared as outgoing Selectman Glenn Crawford charged that members of the Lamoine Fire Department deliberately misled voters to win votes for the new rescue/pumper truck a year ago. At his last meeting as a Selectmen on March 3rd, Crawford said the fire department led people to believe a 1975 American LaFrance truck was “a piece of junk” and that was why the department wanted the new truck. Crawford said he was upset that when the truck was put up for sale it was listed in excellent condition and the pump passed its certification test.
Administrative Assistant Stu Marckoon said he wrote the ad that appeared on the town's website and made an error on the pump certification information. He said there had been no offers received in regard to the Internet ad, and corrected the information the next day.
Volunteer Chief Engineer Mo Oliver said he informed the one department that made an offer the Selectmen were considering about the true condition of the truck, and that it needed new rear tires and the pump failed to pass its overload test the last time it was tested. Oliver said he was insulted by Crawford's charges and left the meeting.
New Selectman Richard Fennelly Jr. picked up the matter at the next Selectmen's meeting and wondered if any sort of disciplinary action was necessary. The Selectmen ultimately accepted an offer of $8,500 for the old truck from the Passadumkeag Fire Department until the March 31st meeting. Research by Fennelly and Selectman Perry Fowler indicted the truck might be worth $15,000 to $20,000. |
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