Buckfield Fire tanker expected back in service soon

BUCKFIELD — For nearly one month, members of the Buckfield Volunteer Fire Department have gone about their duties short one critical piece of apparatus.  Now, Fire Chief Steve Bly reports that the department’s tanker “should be back in service by the end of next week.”

This is not the first time that the town’s tanker — a 1982 GMC truck rebuilt to carry an 1,800 gallon tank — has been out for repairs.

Not long ago, the tanker had also been out of service while a local garage, which Bly declined to name, put in a new motor.  That motor, a rebuilt model, “blew” soon after the tanker was put back on the road.

“We didn’t even have 50 miles on it,” said Bly, clearly exasperated.

However, Bly wished to make clear that, in his professional opinion, the lack of a tanker over the preceding month has presented no additional danger to local residents.

Buckfield Fire still has three engines that can respond.  These pumpers bring with them a total of 2,400 gallons of water and foam. 

“We strive to get water flowing to the attack lines within a minute of arriving on scene,” said Bly.

Bly was also quick to note how the addition of Buckfield’s brand-new apparatus, which arrived this past summer, helps to alleviate concerns he might have had, should the tanker have “gone down” before its delivery.

Prior to the purchase of the new pumper, now designated as Engine One, Buckfield’s fleet consisted of the 1,800 gallon tanker, plus two pumpers that could each transport 650 and 750 gallons of water respectively.  Engine One boasts a water capacity of 1,000 gallons.  

“So [now] we’re really only 800 gallons short,” he said.

Also of note is the fact that Buckfield Fire enjoys mutual aid agreements with fire departments from the towns of Hebron, Sumner, Turner, Minot, and Paris.

“And Minot has a new station on Death Valley Road,” said Bly, “so they’re just down the road now.”

Bly points out that the agreements with Hebron, Sumner and Turner are what is known as “automatic mutual aid.”  This means that the Oxford County Radio Control and Communications center dispatches, or “tones out,” those departments simultaneously with its alarm to Buckfield.

“That cuts down on being short of water too,” said Bly. 

The Chief noted that with the automatic aid, other departments can often arrive on the incident scene, depending on the area of town they are being called to, within only five to 10 minutes of the Buckfield engines.

The availability of a hydrant system within the confines of the Buckfield Village Corporation also reduces the water shortage from what it might be in some other small rural communities of the area.

Bly also pointed with pride to that fact that eight members of his department are currently taking a Pump Operators Certification class provided by Maine State Fire Training and Education.

This 24-hour class, held over consecutive weekends, concludes Sunday, December 19.  Once finished, the certification will more than double the number of trained pump operators on Buckfield’s roster.

According to Bly, this increased level of training should also help to offset any future deficiency in available equipment.

“They’ll be able to get water faster, draft faster, supply their trucks and hook up to the hydrant system quicker,” he said, meaning that firefighters will be able to do more to battle a blaze, providing a higher level of service even when faced with fewer resources.

Bly did say that his department still intends to apply for a brand new tanker in this year’s round of Homeland Security grants for the fire service.  This would allow the department to completely decommission the 22-year old “homemade” tanker now on the blocks.  

Such grants are often, but not always, tied to the overall age of a department’s fleet.  Based on the success of other area towns, such as Greene and Livermore, in winning grants for apparatus, despite having recently purchased other new trucks, Bly is hopeful of meeting with success.

As with all volunteer fire departments in Oxford County, as well as across the state, Buckfield can always use more members.

Chief Bly invites anyone interested in joining Buckfield Fire to attend one of the departments’ monthly equipment check and business meetings, held the last Monday evening of each month at the Buckfield Fire Station.  Prospective members may also contact him through the town’s new website, www.townofbuckfield.com, or by calling 336-2941.