By Jonathan Miller
Update: Colchester Fire & EMS, which had its tanker order cancelled by the manufacturer recently, has already located a replacement from Pierce, placed the order, and should see it in three or four months, according to Chief Steven Hoffmann.
Hoffmann said it’s pretty rare in his experience for a manufacturer to cancel an order. But the manufacturer, in this case, was unable to secure the specific cab/chassis that Colchester sought and backed out of the contract.
After the contract was cancelled, “We began to look for other options that would meet a quick time schedule as well as our operational needs,” Hoffmann wrote in an email. “We were able to locate a tanker from Pierce, that was different but met our needs with added water capacity. We have placed the order and we should see the tanker around May/June 2024.”
To stay within budget, the tanker will be delivered in its original color – red – instead of yellow like the other vehicles in the fleet, the department said in a Facebook post.
Here’s the original story as it appeared Jan. 31:
This week, the new Truck 128 arrived at Colchester Fire & EMS headquarters, according to the First Selectman’s Report – January 19, 2024. This is one of four vehicles set to arrive at Fire & EMS headquarters this month as part of the 2021 fire apparatus bond. The department expects the new vehicles to begin entering service in the coming weeks.
The report also updated the status of the fifth vehicle, a tanker, which was included in the 2021 referendum. The four vehicles arriving this month were all produced by a single manufacturer. A second manufacturer held the contract for the tanker and recently canceled the town’s contract due to procurement issues.
The town is working with Fire Chief Steven Hoffmann and Deputy Chief Brad Bernier to identify a suitable substitute for the tanker that was originally ordered. As the town explores alternatives, it is committed to remaining within the original budget for this project as set by voters at referendum. The town hopes to have news on this later this winter.
