City to use $2.5 million HUD loan to bolster fire department fleet
FALL RIVER — It wasn’t that long ago that the Fall River Fire Department's fleet was on its last legs of usefulness before a $5 million U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development loan reinvigorated the aging stock of fire apparatus and trucks.
Now a $2.5 million HUD loan through the city’s Community Development Agency will be used to purchase two more pieces of new equipment, keeping the momentum of maintaining a modern-day city fire department.
With the bonus of it being at no cost to taxpayers.
The loan has been approved by HUD, and garnered approval by the City Council earlier this month.
“We will be replacing Ladder 4 and Engine 9 at the Candeias Fire Station in the Flint neighborhood. Ladder 4 is a 2010, so that’s about 13 years old,” said Fall River Fire Chief Roger St. Martin. “And the engine that we are replacing is a 2017. This will also build up our reserve fleet.”
When will the city get the new firetrucks?
The specs for the two new pieces of equipment are complete and St. Martin said it will take about two years to build the trucks and get them into service.
Currently, the FRFD’s spare pieces consist of a 2004 platform truck and a 1997 engine and a 1998 engine.
“Typically, the equipment lasts about 15 years,” said St. Martin.
While the trucks may be considered spares, St. Martin indicated previously the equipment is usually in use more than 60 percent of the time.
Loans to replace fire equipment
CDA Executive Director Michael Dion said the $2.5 million is being borrowed by his agency through the HUD Section 108 loan program.
“It allows us to borrow money at no cost to the taxpayer and we will use our Community Development Block Grant to pay back the loan,” said Dion. “It is kind of an advance of new money.”
In August 2016, HUD approved a similar loan for nearly $5 million that changed a fire department with deteriorating and beyond aging fleet, to state-of-the art firefighting equipment.
The loan through the CDA allowed the city to purchase a lot of new equipment including three engines, a heavy rescue truck, ladder truck, a Chevrolet Tahoe and other fire equipment, at a cost of more than $3.5 million in the first year.
In the second year, the city outfitted the department with $137,700 worth of assorted fire equipment like hoses and nozzles. In year three, another new ladder truck along with assorted tools at nearly $1.3 million was delivered to the department.
Washers and dryers to clean gear
The loan also purchased washers and dryers to clean firefighters' turn-out gear, (which the department had not had prior) Jaws of Life and scuba gear.
Firefighter health: A $30K grant is buying Fall River firefighters PFAS-free gear. It may help prevent cancer.
Prior to 2016, the city had not upgraded most of its fleet in 20 years when again HUD money was used.
Now that the HUD loan has been approved by the City Council, it will fund $1.8 million for the new ladder truck and $700,000 to purchase the engine pumper.
“It doesn’t affect any budgets, and this is the best way to go about it without any direct impact to the taxpayer,” said Dion.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: City to use $2.5 million HUD loan to bolster fire department fleet
