Sometimes, fire officials said, some trucks broke down even on the way to fires.
Fire Chief John Cybart and Kevin Lantowsky, former president of the local firefighters' union, were backed by about 50 firefighters during a contentious March council meeting when they described how 17-year-old Engine 2, out of the Huntington Road station, had failed on its way to a fire at a five-story Broadbridge Avenue condominium complex.
Now, Cybart is seeking $650,000 in the capital improvement budget for new trucks. He said a new truck will take about a year to order and have built, but with the purchase of a used truck, the department could put that into immediate service to replace Engine 2. He said when the new truck arrives, the used truck could be used as the fleet's backup.
But some town officials still aren't sure if and when the funds will be approved.
Town Council Chairman Michael Henrick, R-10, said he still wants to be "completely certain" that the town needs to obtain a brand new truck, but that if it does the council will move to approve it next month.
"If we have to do it, we will," Henrick said. "We're going to take a good look at all this in June after we complete the process for the 2008-09 operating
budget this week."Cybart said he's requesting a new $450,000 truck and a $200,000 used truck, and hopes with some of the recent events, the council will realize how dire the need is "before the equipment breaks down again and somebody gets hurt."
Things got so bad recently than that when two of its seven firetrucks were out of service, Stratford had to borrow a 1980 backup truck from the volunteer Shelton Fire Department for three days.
Cybart said, ironically, one of Stratford's trucks that needed repairs was the department's newest and most used piece of apparatus, the 2002 Engine 1, stationed at Fire Headquarters on Main Street.
He said the other engine out of service — which may not even be usable again — is the department's 29-year-old backup truck that is so antiquated that firefighters have to ride on it in the open air.
"It's a very serious problem because that truck is being evaluated, but may cost too much to repair it at this point," Cybart said. "Engine 2 has about 113,000 miles and is 17 years old. It should really be only used as a backup truck at this point, but right now we have no choice but to keep using it as part of the regular fleet of trucks."
New Fire Union President Bill Hansen, a firefighter who works at the Huntington Road station where Engine 2 is stationed, echoed the chief's sentiments about the dire need for new trucks. He said Engine 2, which covers the Bunnell High School area in the northwest part of town, is the second most used fire truck in the department.
"We have been very fortunate that no citizens or firefighters have been hurt," Hansen said. "But this is a serious problem that needs to be addressed."
Hansen said when Engine 2 broke down on the way to the Broadbridge condos in March, it could have resulted in a tragedy.
"Engine 2 has a 50-foot Arial ladder and it was supposed to serve as a backup in that fire," Hansen said. "Luckily, people had evacuated the condos in time and the other equipment at the scene was able to handle it. But we can't keep taking that chance."
Hansen said Engine 2 also leaks between five and 10 gallons of water an hour, and has three cracks in its ladder.
"We're constantly topping it off with water, but the leak can also be a safety hazard because the water is dripping down into the rear axle," he said. Councilwoman Amy Wanamaker, D-6, said she also warned the council and mayor in March that the firetrucks had to be replaced.
But at the time the mayor and Henrick said the council meeting was "not the appropriate time" to bring the issue up and should wait for the budget process.
They said that the matter was not handled correctly, saying fire officials and some council members, particularly Wanamaker, should not have brought firefighters to appear before the council.
Instead, the mayor and Henrick said the "proper procedure" would have been for Cybart and Wanamaker to contact the mayor directly and work through his office.
"I felt at the time the issue was so serious it had to be brought up, budget time or not," Wanamaker said. "After the department was recently forced to borrow a firetruck from another community, I believe I have been proven right."
The mayor said he "fully supports" seeking both a new firetruck, and a used one for the department.
"I have made the request to the council, and now it's up to them," Miron said.
Firefighters said replacing the engines is imperative.
"There is always the worry Engine 2 is going to break down," firefighter James Rose, who drives the truck daily, told the council in March.
Lantowsky, the former union president, said, "Every firefighter in this town takes pride in doing our job. But we need equipment we can count on to protect the public."
