East Hampton Wants a $645,000 Firetruck

The Town Council on Tuesday, April 9, will vote on a proposal to purchase a $645,000 new firetruck for the town's volunteer fire department. The council will vote on whether to send the proposal to a town meeting for a vote. 

The vehicle, a combined ladder and engine truck, will replace two aging vehicles in the fire department's fleet, an engine truck and a separate ladder truck. Those vehicles were purchased new in 1980 and 1990. 

The new truck, if the town approves the purchase, would take about seven months to build, Town Manager Michael Maniscalco said. The order would be placed with Pierce Manufacturing, which builds the speciality vehicles. 

Maniscalco said the town would seek to sell the two other trucks that would be retired. 

The town also has several other fire vehicles, including a ladder truck, two engine trucks (including the older one that would be retired) and several smaller rescue vehicles.