Darien Selectmen Approve $2M For New Heavy Rescue Fire Truck

DARIEN, CT — The Darien Board of Selectmen earlier this week approved an appropriation request and bonding authorization of $2 million from the Darien Fire Department, paving the way for the purchase of a brand new heavy rescue truck that fire officials say is needed.

Darien Fire Chief Brian Francefort and 1st Assistant Chief Larry Castellani went before the board on Monday to ask for the appropriation.

Francefort explained that as part of a recent replacement plan for fire equipment, the original price for a new rescue truck was about $900,000.

But due to an "astronomical" 75 percent increase in metals recently, Francefort said the price increased to $1.7 million. He explained that an additional $300,000 is being requested to add firefighting and rescue equipment.

Several selectmen expressed concern about the substantial price for the truck, but ultimately agreed that it was needed. They voted unanimously on the appropriation and bonding.

The equipment on the current rescue truck is coming to the end of its shelf life. Rather than moving old equipment over to a new truck, which is expected to be delivered in about two-and-a-half years, Francefort said it made more sense to acquire the new equipment now.

Darien's rescue truck covers Interstate-95 from about exit 9-14, and all local roads in town. It responds to motor vehicle crashes, hazmat spills and rope and water rescue situations. It would also respond to any sort of building collapse, or confined space rescue call.

The new equipment would include an electric vehicle fire blanket, which would help aid in putting out dangerous and powerful fires that are seen with electric vehicles, Francefort said.

There would also be a small boat that could fit into one of the truck's compartments, which could come in handy during storm and flooding events that have become frequent in town in recent years.

"The nature of emergencies are changing, so what we're trying to do is be able to respond to those in a very efficient manner," Castellani told the board. "We've been doing this a long time. Every time we think we've seen something, something new happens. We're trying to make sure that we're building a truck that is going to meet anything we could foresee, and maybe not even foresee, but mitigate in a very quick nature."

Selectman Jon Zagrodzky said he was concerned about the price and what might be coming in the future with regards to other fire apparatuses.

He also asked if Darien could depend on bigger departments in Norwalk or Stamford for complex calls, and wondered if the department would fall into "mission creep" and lose focus "on making some tradeoffs in terms of the equipment we're buying."

Town Administrator Kathleen Buch said waiting for Norwalk or Stamford fire personnel during a building collapse or confined space rescue isn't ideal. She also said there isn't another entity in town that is capable of the work the fire department does.

Darien has a mutual aid agreement with surrounding towns. Castellani said that in his time at the department over the past decade, Darien hasn't had to call in for additional resources.

Selectman Michael Burke said he had "sticker shock" when he saw the $2 million price tag.

"I don't know if we'd do better by waiting to see if metal prices go down," Burke said. "I hate it, but I feel like this is the responsible thing to do."

Selectman Marcy Minnick asked what the frequency is for the current heavy rescue truck. Castellani noted that on some days, there might be no calls, which is rare. Other days, there could be over a dozen. Francefort said that recently, the department responded to four car crashes within the span of a few hours.

"We put our boots and our hats on every day," Castellani said.

First Selectman Monica McNally had questions about what would happen to the current truck, which was built in 2004.

"Unfortunately, most manufacturers don't take trade-ins. This is something we'd have to try to put up for sale," Francefort said. "There will be somebody who will definitely purchase it at some point, I just don't know for how much."

Buch said proceeds from the current truck will come back to the town. A new heavy rescue truck would last about 20 years, she said.