“Perrotti wanting to pick your pocket for hundreds of thousands of dollars for equipment, the town wants a new communications system”
In 2003 the officers of the Fire Department sat down with former First Selectman Ed St. John to discuss specs of the new Engine 2. Mr. St. John suggested to the officers that the Town should have a global plan for replacing the apparatus and the Department should not only review specs for Engine 2, but also look into replacing or refurbishing Rescue 1, and Engine 4. What happened to that plan? After Mr. St. John declared war on the MVFD, all plans for apparatus replacement were tabled.
That was back in 2003. It is now 2008, and the MVFD still does not have a pumper ordered. The Department now has four pieces of apparatus that are over 20 years old. They include the following:
Engine 2 - 1981
Rescue 1 - 1979
Engine 4 - 1987
Engine 3 - 1988
Paul Perrotti is not picking anyone’s pockets. The statement is insulting. Decisions about this apparatus should have been made years ago, but politics got in the way of public safety. The new First Selectman is being saddled with a problem the previous administration should have solved, and the Middlebury Taxpayer will ultimately pay the price. Who will be the first to point the finger of blame at First Selectman Tom Gormley? The aging fire apparatus issue is not going to go away.
The same holds true for the radio system. Anyone who believes that the Police Department does not need a new radio system cares little for the men and woman who put their lives on the line everyday in Middlebury. If the Police Department can not communicate with each other or dispatch, then the safety of the entire community is in jeopardy.
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How quickly would Mr. DeAngelis sue the Town, the Fire Department, and the officers if his house burned own, or a family member suffered grievious harm or death, because equipment failed, or communications failed. Anyone who follows fire department budgets anywhere knows that the FD is always the quickest to be cut, because you only need them once in a while. The issue in Middlebury is simple. Fire Apparatus cannot be judged by mileage. Even big city apparatus does not have the kind of mileage that your family car racks up over the years. The front-line, first due attack pumper is a 1988. That is 20 years old. In fire apparatus terms, that is OLD!!! The NFPA recommends replacement much sooner than that. The FD is operating 3 pumpers exceeding 20 years of age, and a rescue truck of 30 years age. Fire Apparatus is expensive, plain and simple. That's why a regular replacement schedule, with monies budgeted yearly, is a sensible approach, that keeps the town from having to make large capital expenditures, along with preventing large maintenance expenses, such as the emergency replacement of the Rescue truck's engine a couple of years back, to the tune of $18,000.00.Someone explain to the taxpayers why the town dropped a new motor in a 30 year old truck. These types of espenses could be prevented by regular replacement of equipment. While it is true that some of the FD's equipment is not used every day, it's equipment that is vital when needed. Pat, are you willing to pay the settlement when some Westover student dies or is seriously hurt because the MVFD couldn't make the rescue while we waited for a ladder from another town? It's hard for the average citizen to understand, because the trucks sure do look nice. This is becaus ethe members work hard to keep the fleet in the best possible condition, even considering it's age. Don't be fooled by the outward appearance. The pretty red paint isn't what will save you life or property, It's what's under the skin. Remember the old saying, "Beauty is only skin-deep".
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