On Nov. 8, 2011, the Camden Fire Department is asking Camden residents to vote yes on the municipal ballot's Question 2: Shall the Town approve the proposed Supplemental FY12 Budget authorizing the purchase of a replacement fire truck; appropriate $524,282 for the purchase; authorize the expenditure of $110,000 from the Fire Equipment Reserve Fund, and; authorize the capital lease financing of the balance $414,282.

Camden’s firefighters realize the cost of firefighting equipment is significant; yet, they also consider the money spent to be an investment in protecting the lives of our neighbors and the more than $1.2 billion assessed property value of the community they serve.

Camden's Capital Improvement Plan lists all department assets of significant value and assigns a scheduled replacement date for them. This allows for the strategic acquisition of equipment and assists in budget development. The plan has called for the replacement of Engine 6 (a truck built in 1981) in 2012 and Engine 1 (a truck manufactured in 1991) in 2018.

To implement the plan, the Camden Fire Department established a Truck Committee in January 2010 to plan for a replacement truck in 2012. The committee consists of the three full-time and four part-time employees of the fire department, a member of the Camden Budget Committee and two Select Board members. The proposal to purchase a replacement fire truck follows more than a year of research and deliberation about Camden's firefighting apparatus, the function of mutual aid with nearby towns, Camden's own future public safety needs and budgetary considerations. The proposal before voters on Nov. 8 provides efficient consolidation of equipment and cost.

The fire department examined the department’s assets, the resources of our mutual aid partners, Camden Police, Camden First Aid, Camden Emergency Management and neighboring towns. Together, we conducted a hazard and vulnerability assessment of the town’s needs. That process led to the decision to recommend replacing Engine 1 in 2012 and to phase out Engine 6 over time. The recommendation to replace Engine 1 instead of Engine 6 is based on the useful purpose of each truck and the dollar value remaining in each truck.

This decision effectively makes the acquisition of a new truck in 2012 a two-for-one deal with Engine 6 not being replaced after its useful life span. The next scheduled replacement of a truck for the fire department will then be in 2022.

The fire department conducted much research in developing this recommendation for the replacement truck. Firefighters visited several fire departments in the state, including Rockland, Freeport and Falmouth, to see what works and what lessons can be learned from their peers.

They traveled to the New England Fire Chief’s symposium in Springfield, Mass., to climb on, over and around trucks built by a variety of manufacturers. Following the research, the decision was made to develop specifications for a truck to serve multiple functions, rather than duplicate that which already exists within the department’s resources. Those specifications were sent to 14 fire apparatus manufacturers.

Typically, when communities acquire new trucks, they are built individually for a fire department, which bases specifications on its needs. After the approval process is complete, an order is placed and the truck is built. Delivery of the new truck is usually 10 to 12 months after signing a contract.

In Camden's case, the Truck Committee decided to recommend purchasing a truck built by Pierce Manufacturing, of Appleton, Wisconsin. This is the same company that has provided the town with three of its existing fire trucks. Camden has a well-established working relationship with the company, which is known for building reliable trucks.

The proposed truck recommended by Camden’s Fire Truck Committee is comparable in nature to trucks used by similar communities, such as Cumberland and Rockland. Among the features firefighters want in the new truck are safe operations and ease of use of the pump and vehicle components.

In August, the Select Board voted unanimously to approve the lease-purchase of the truck. That same month, the Camden Budget Committee voted 16 to 3 to endorse the truck replacement and financing plan.

How does this truck replacement affect your tax bill?

The truck costs $524,282, less $110,000, which would be paid from the Fire Equipment Reserve Fund. The final cost is $414,282, to be paid for through a lease-purchase agreement that will extend over 10 years. That schedule carries an annual cost to the town of $51,700. The cost to a typical Camden taxpayer with a home valued at $200,000 is less than a penny per year, according calculations made by Camden's tax assessor.

In an effort to attempt to offset the cost of the truck, a Department of Homeland Security, Assistance to Firefighters Grant was submitted in September 2011 for the apparatus. A determination of status of the grant will not likely be known until late spring 2012. If the town votes in the affirmative for the project, we can move forward in November 2011 and use potential future grant funds to pay down the lease-purchase agreement in 2012.

The Camden Fire Department asks for your yes vote on question 2 on the municipal ballot. Your approval is an investment in protecting the quality of life we all enjoy in Camden and throughout the Midcoast.

If you have any questions about this project or the Fire Department, please feel free to call 236-7950, or visit us at the fire station at 31 Washington Street.

Chris Farley is Camden's fire chief.