New fire pumper guaranteed for Weymouth

A special village meeting Oct. at the Weymouth Fire Hall resulted in a 59-12 vote in favor of purchasing a new Freightliner M2-106 four-door pumper.

Fire Chief Roy Mullen said the current pumper is 23 years old and is outdated.

“We purchased the current pumper in 1986 and it has served the department well over the years, but for safety and efficiency reasons, it’s time to replace it,” Mullen said.

“The life expectancy of a fire truck is about 20 years and we’ve talked about a new one over the last few years.”

Guest speaker for the meeting was Jacques Pelletier, sales representative for Metalfab Fire Apparatus in Centerville, N.B., who explained the specifics of the new fire pumper and fielded questions from the audience.

“The new pumper has increased safety for the firefighters and fighting fires,” said Pelletier.

The four-door crew cab truck comes equipped with fire-rated ladders, foam, a water monitor, 3,500-watt generator and four self-contained breathing apparatus strapped into the seats.

Mullen said the $310,000 vehicle would be paid off by 2016.

“In order to purchase the vehicle, we needed the consent of the village as it will increase the fire rate from five cents to 10 cents,” he said.

Along with community members and firefighters, municipal councilors Linda Gregory and Randall Amero, along with warden Jim Thurber were in attendance at the meeting.

Once the provincial government guaranteed the loan necessary for the new truck, the municipality could guarantee it as well, Mullen said.

“This new pumper is a much needed piece of equipment and the ‘yes’ vote the fire department received from the community clearly shows their support for us and what we do.

“This is an important time in the life of the fire department and I was delighted with the turnout from both the community and fellow firefighters.”