This equipment provides respiratory protection for personnel during firefighting and hazardous materials emergencies and will replace equipment that will no longer be OSHA or National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) compliant as of 2018.  AFG officials approved $294,500 for the project, however, the overall costs to replace the equipment is projected to be higher at $311,034.  In conjunction with a required local government match, the total net cost to the City should be $43,306.80.

Fire Chief Bill Carver told supervisors that the department's rescue truck and ladder truck are either in need of serious repair or outright replacement. A new 150-foot ladder truck could cost significantly more than a rescue truck.

The ladder truck is currently out of service while being repaired and several functions on the rescue truck, like the foam and water pumps, do not work.

The truck, purchased brand-new by military veterans in 1947, has been the apple of Tisbury’s eye for several years, and in a deal with the firefighters’ association at the Cotuit-Osterville-Marstons Mills (COMM) Fire Department, the homecoming was made possible.

The new station was built through the use of municipal bonds at a cost of $2.9 million and took just over one year to construct. Additional staffing for the facility was provided by the local community through a Safety Services Levy that passed in fall 2015. Kelly said this facility is state-of-the-art for Miami Township Fire and EMS and will serve the community for decades to come.