HARTFORD — The Hartford Fire Department is seeking bids for a new, larger ladder truck that could cost around $1 million after a routine maintenance check in April found a crack in the current 18-year-old ladder truck’s frame.
The turn of events means the town has been without a ladder truck in service since April 29, as Hartford officials worked to figure out if they could repair the 2001 E-One Ladder 1 truck or if it would need replacing.
Hartford Fire Chief Scott Cooney said this week that the town, which filed an insurance claim for the damage, recently received some clarity: The truck, which was supposed to last until 2025, is totaled, and the town will need to purchase a new one.
The Vermont League of Cities and Towns deemed the truck a total loss on June 3 and cut Hartford a check for its worth — roughly $148,000.
Now, the town is hoping to secure a replacement ladder truck by the end of next month, Cooney said, but in the meantime, Hartford is looking to Lebanon and Hanover in the event of a serious fire or incident.
“You never know when those emergencies will arise,” Cooney said. “We have already notified our closest mutual aid partners, requesting (a ladder truck) earlier in the game to cover us in the short term.”
Hartford has only had to lean on another agency — the Lebanon Fire Department — for a ladder truck once since the truck went out of service. That was for a structure fire on Quechee West Hartford Road on May 11.
Having a ladder truck in Hartford is necessary to reach tall buildings, or buildings with deep setbacks, such as a condominium complex that has parking in front of it, Cooney said.
Some buildings in White River Junction top 60 feet tall, and with continued development, that figure could increase. A five-story assisted living facility, the Village at White River Junction, recently opened on Gates Street, and a nearby building holding telecommunications equipment is four stories. And a developer has proposed a new five-story building at 132 S. Main Street.
The town is seeking a truck with a reach that is up to 40 feet longer than the current truck because buildings in town have already exceeded the reach of the current 75-foot ladder truck, Cooney said. In 1995, the town had a 100-foot ladder truck, he noted.
Hartford has four other fire engines, but no other ladder truck.
Because the fire department hopes to get a new truck soon, the town’s request for proposals from manufacturers asks for trucks currently in production or for demo models.
Cooney mentioned in a presentation to the Selectboard recently that the Florida-based company E-One has a 100-foot aerial ladder truck that is slated for construction in December and available in January that may be a good candidate for the town.
Hartford is hoping to purchase a truck through a 10-year agreement. A new truck could have a price tag of around $1 million. Hartford has an existing equipment reserve account to which taxpayers contribute money annually. Last year, the town allotted roughly $142,000. This year — and for nine years going forward — the town would slate $227,000 for that account, a portion of which would go directly toward paying for the annual lease payment of the truck, if voters at Town Meeting approve.
“Those annual payments will be used to service the debt instead of being held in reserve to pay cash on the planned replacement year,” Hartford Town Manager Brannon Godfrey said.
The town is in the position it is in today because the truck was damaged in November, Cooney said.
The truck’s driver was returning from a road test on Interstate 91, when the truck hit a patch of ice and slid into a concrete bridge abutment. No one was injured.
The crash bent two rims on the passenger side of the truck, and the League of Cities and Towns approved a claim at that time to fix the rims and tires at a cost of about $2,200.
No one saw the crack in the frame at that time, though, so the truck remained in service until the town’s mechanic found the problem in April. Officials believe the cracked frame element happened during the same incident in November, according to Cooney.
The town is looking at renting a loaner ladder truck in the short term if a permanent truck isn’t available for delivery by the end of next month, Cooney said. Bids for the new engine are due by July 1.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.