The Bay Fire Department announced last week on Facebook it had received and put in service a Draeger X-am 2500 multi-gas meter.

This multi-gas meter has the ability to detect four types of gas: LELs, carbon monoxide, ambient oxygen levels, and hydrogen sulfide. This meter will aide the department during incidents like gas odors, and carbon monoxide emergencies, as well as hazardous materials incidents, the fire department said.

The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) last week unanimously endorsed six requests for funding that will eventually be considered by voters in the spring town meeting, including $1.5 million to renovate the Village Fire Station, hulltimes.com reported.

The projects will use funds collected from the Community Preservation Act surcharge, the report said.

The CPC approved spending $500,000 in cash and bonding $1 million over 20 years for phase two of the Village Fire Station preservation project, the report said. A written summary of a CPC site visit to the Village Fire Station said that “conditions demonstrate the building is in severe need of repair but is structurally sound. Addressing the need in a timely fashion will allow for the continued use of the building as well as to preserve a property of high historic value to the town.” 

The building served as the first town hall and school in 1848.

The committee members expressed interest in preserving the many historical documents, photographs, and collectibles in the upstairs meeting room and basement area, according to the report. Some of these items belong to the town and some are in the archives of the Hull Historical Society, which has occupied the second floor for decades. The building was formerly the town hall, and the basement contains a historic jail cell and vault, which the CPC would also like to see preserved, the report said.

Hillsboro Volunteer Fire Department recently took possession of a 2018 Dodge Ram fire truck that will replace the original truck the county bought new back in 1978, manchestertimes.com reported.

The department bought the Dodge Ram using funds that was allocated extra from the county and tied to the free-to-the-homeowner smoke detector installation program, the report said.

A Hillsboro fire official said that the $40,000 from the county was used as a down payment on the truck, the report said.

The new truck was purchased from Brindlee Mountain Fire Apparatus in Huntsville. It holds 300 gallons of water, upgraded to hold 30 gallons of foam. The four-man cab will allow more flexibility hauling firefighters over the old two-man cab on the ’78, and the new unit’s automatic transmission doesn’t require firefighters to know how to drive a four speed manual, according to the report.

The new truck will be used for brushfire calls, vehicle fires and will support Bonnaroo operations, according to the report.