WILBRAHAM — The Wilbraham Fire Department was recently awarded $690,476 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to support the purchase of a new fire engine, the department recently announced.
The new engine will replace a 30-year-old engine within the department’s regular fleet, allowing the old engine to be placed in reserve, Fire Chief Michael Andrews told Reminder Publishing. Under reserve, the old engine will be used when the main engines are not available.
The 2025 fire engine will be able to hold 1,000 gallons of water and have a pump that can move 1,500 gallons per minute, Andrews stated.
Although the federal grant will likely only cover “three-quarters” of the cost for a new fire engine, the town approved the borrowing of up to $984,000 during the most recent Town Meeting in order to cover the remaining costs, Andrews said. He estimated that the final cost to residents will be between $300,000 and $340,000, noting that a vendor and price have not been finalized yet.
Andrews explained that the department has applied to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program every year for “at least three years,” stating that the need for a new fire engine was identified and communicated to the Wilbraham Finance Committee a few years ago. However, the department’s vehicles were not old enough to be awarded the grant until this year.
Within the grant program, fire departments can request funds to support purchases across three categories: equipment, apparatus and training. As of this year, the Wilbraham Fire Department has been awarded more than $1.5 million from this program within multiple awards in the equipment and training categories, Andrews said. This is the first year that the department was awarded funds from the Assistance to Firefighters program for an apparatus, or firefighting vehicle.
The new fire engine, which is expected to be purchased in December 2025, will be similar to the older engine yet “much safer,” Andrews stated. He highlighted that this is an accelerated timeline compared to the potential three year timeline to secure a vehicle with certain vendors.
The increased safety is a result of additional technology and safety measures added to fire engines since the 1995 engine was released. Once the engine is purchased, the Department of Homeland Security is expected to reimburse the town within a few days, Andrews said.
He emphasized that the grant award was due to work by Captain Josh Mullen, the Department’s primary grant writer, stating that Mullen had “put in a lot of effort” to secure this grant over the previous few years. In a press release, Andrews also thanked U.S. Sens. Edward Markey (D-Malden) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Cambridge) and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield) for their support of the grant.
The Wilbraham Fire Department will continue to annually apply to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program in the coming years in order to support the purchase of other resources, including the upcoming needed replacement of a 25-year-old truck, Andrews said. He explained that the department typically looks to replace engines after 25-30 years of “front line” service.
