The Town Council unanimously approved the expenditure of $5,610 from the Fire Department Capital Reserve Fund in accordance with Article 6 of the March 2012 Town Meeting, which approved $150,000 for the acquisition of fire department equipment.
The Fire Department Equipment Committee has completed its review of several manufacturers’ equipment and recommended the town purchase one Holmatro 4050HCT cutter from Industrial Protective Service, LLC for $5,610.
According to Battalion Chief Mike McQuillen, the cutter is a device used to cut away materials to extract victims, similar to the operation of the Jaws of Life.
At Monday night’s Town Council meeting, Councilor Jim Butler asked Fire Chief Darren O’Brien if the request was for an additional piece of equipment or if it was a replacement, and he asked where the equipment would be placed once purchased.
“This is one of the hydraulic cutters that we have on our rescue truck,” O’Brien responded. “This piece of equipment was damaged during an extrication exercise. It was my recommendation to see if it could be covered under town insurance, and we went through Primex and had the adjuster come out and it was not covered. This was not a scheduled purchase this year, this was something that was damaged beyond repair and we can’t do without it. It is the large set of cutters that we use for vehicle extrication.”
O’Brien said the department has a small set of cutters and two “combi-tools.”
O’Brien said the cutter should arrive in about a week.