The current fire station is so small that the town had to purchase specially designed firetrucks to fit inside, Fire Chief Pete Shedd said.

The idea now being discussed is to attach a new garage, large enough to fit four regularly sized firetrucks, onto the department’s current building in central Bernardston, freeing up the rest of the building for office space and other uses, Shedd said.

This is a reduction from the Fire Station Expansion Committee’s previous hopes that the town might purchase the Valley Concrete Property on Route 10 near Mount Hermon Road. The Selectboard voted against pursuing that property last summer, citing concerns over longer response times due to the location’s distance from central Bernardston.

Replacing a 22-year-old engine, the $530,000 vehicle is an important addition to the busy station, which serves the downtown area, Mr. Augustus said.

The city has purchased or ordered nine additional fire vehicles the last five years, at about $8 million, Mr. Augustus noted.

Also, as part of an ongoing effort to maintain staffing, the city will commence another class of 22 new firefighters through the academy in March, he said. The safety enhancements include better lighting, more ergonomically correct seat belts, better traction control, and upgraded mechanical systems.

The cost to replace the truck will be covered almost entirely by the city’s insurance.

 

City Manager Scott Morrelli said in a statement Thursday that the Maine Municipal Association Risk Management Services, which provides insurance to cities and towns across Maine, will pay for all but $7,604 of the total $1,069,486 to replace the Pierce-brand truck.

As a result of the incident, Capt. Chris Copp was demoted to lieutenant from Dec. 12 to Jan. 9, according to a letter of discipline released by the city.

The incident occurred during firefighter training in the rear parking lot of the Cash Corner fire station on Oct. 30. The truck’s aerial ladder made contact with power lines along Skillin Street, damaging portions of the truck’s electrical system and sparking a fire that burned the truck’s right front tire.

The City Council approved the $449,000 expenditure in December 2017. The new pumper is expected to replace a 2006 pumper at Station 3.

The custom-built pumper will have a 1,000-gallon capacity water tank.