At a special town meeting, voters were asked to decide two questions: The first asked if voters would allow the Select Board to put $35,000 into a newly-created reserve fund to buy a new fire truck, and the second asked if voters would allow the Pittsfield Volunteer Fire Department, or PVFD, to use up to $200,000 to buy a new tanker truck.  

In March, voters approved the purchase of the truck and tabled the creation of the reserve fund. But a petition forced the second vote Wednesday night.

Town Clerk Patricia Haskins said the fire truck question was approved by a vote of 69-31, with one ballot spoiled.

District Chief Dan Merz said some West Side companies have gone from being among the slower areas to the busier ones. Some crews are making as many as 30 runs in a day.

 

Adding another fire station would cut down on response times, lessen the wear on personnel and reduce the number of equipment failures, according to Merz.

To add a new station, the department will need more new recruits, according to Matt Alter, the president of firefighter union Local 48.