Meriden Fire Department's 1980s fire engine will be replaced with a new engine using a $328,000 Homeland Security grant recently awarded to the department. (Courtesy Meriden Fire Department)
Meriden Fire Department's 1980s fire engine will be replaced with a new engine using a $328,000 Homeland Security grant recently awarded to the department. (Courtesy Meriden Fire Department) Credit: Courtesy Meriden Fire Department

Meriden — The third time was the charm for Meriden Fire Capt. Jeff LeBlanc.

For the past three years, LeBlanc has applied to the Department of Homeland Security in hopes of landing a grant to replace the department’s aging 1980s fire engine.

In 2014 and 2015, LeBlanc’s attempts didn’t bear fruit; the application he submitted in January of this year did.

The Meriden Volunteer Fire Department last month was granted $328,000 to purchase a new truck through a Federal Emergency Management Agency program that ensures departments are meeting “firefighting and emergency response needs,” according to Homeland Security’s website.

“It will increase our level of service to residents as well as allow us to provide better service to surrounding towns,” LeBlanc said in a recent telephone interview.

The department’s 1987 fire engine isn’t up to new standards and has become a repair and maintenance problem, LeBlanc said. In addition, the truck is large and hard to maneuver on rural roads.

The new engine, which will have a smaller wheel base that will allow for easier maneuvering, will remedy those issues and more.

“It was getting to the point where the vehicle needed to be replaced,” LeBlanc said.

With an annual operating budget of roughly $40,000, LeBlanc said, the department doesn’t have much money left over at the end of each year to put into capital reserves for major purchases.

Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program aims to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters by providing grants for “critically needed resources to equip and train emergency personnel to recognized standards, enhance operations efficiencies, foster interoperability and support community resilience,” according to the department’s website.

Hundreds of other fire departments received assistance through the program, including 13 in New Hampshire.

Each department must provide a local match to the federal dollars. In Meriden’s case, the department must provide 5 percent, or roughly $17,000, LeBlanc said.

The Meriden Fire Department has put together a committee to design a truck suitable for the department. The truck will be special ordered in segments, and LeBlanc said he hopes to have it in the firehouse by next summer.

“Building it takes some time,” he said.

The new truck will join Meriden’s fleet of a ladder truck, an engine and a utility vehicle.

Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.