MARION — Marion has received a $297,142.85 grant that will enable them to buy a new tanker truck and train their firefighters to use it. With the Assistance to Firefighters grant, the town will have to pay just five percent of the truck’s cost through Town Meeting. 

The new tanker will replace a 1957 truck which was adapted from a military vehicle through the Federal Excess Property Program. If the funding for the truck passes at Town Meeting, the cost will be appropriated through budget resources already in place and there will be no additional cost to the taxpayer.

"The current vehicle does not have seat belts that would protect our firefighters in the event of a crash and this is unacceptable," Chief Jackvony said. "Vehicles that have been converted for purposes that they were never intended for are particularly dangerous because of the added weight they carry, especially when operating under emergency conditions. The new truck will not only be safer but will be designed to support our initial fire attack, especially in areas in town where private water mains do not provide adequate water flow for fire hydrants."

Many of the 130 hydrants that are on privately-owned properties are not connected to pipelines that allow firefighters to effectively put out fires.  

Town Administrator Jay McGrail is currently looking into short-term and longer-term solutions to the pipeline problem to avoid passing high costs onto residents that live on private roads and are responsible for their own pipes. 

The  grant must be used one year from the date that it was awarded. Chief Jackvony has assigned the project to Assistant Chief Allen Denham and Capt. Ronald Auld, who have purchased equipment for the department in the past. 

"We are extremely thankful to have been chosen to be a recipient of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, which is very competitive" Chief Jackvony said.