The District Meeting of the Wareham Fire District passed quickly on the evening of Monday, April 8, with unanimous votes authorizing funds for items including emergency generators and several types of vehicles and equipment. 

The generators will go to the district’s new purification plant, the Maple Springs Water Purification Plant, and to the five wells at the Maple Springs Wellfield that are treated in the plant. They would allow the plant and the wells to keep pumping water after a loss of power in an emergency situation. 

“I’m really happy that it passed,” said Water Department Superintendent Andy Cunningham. 

When the district constructed the Maple Springs plant, it knew it didn’t have enough money to equip the plant with everything it wanted, Cunningham said. While the district was able to fund the treatment options it wanted, it was unable to fund emergency generators for the plant. 

At the same time, the equipment that had provided emergency power to Maple Spring wells one through four was incompatable with the new purification plant, meaning those wells (and well nine, constructed later) no longer had emergency power options. 

The water district has relied solely on the water from its other group of wells, Seawood Springs, “any time the power went out since almost five years ago,” Cunningham said. “I’ve gotten by, but that’s almost like crossing your fingers.”

The district started applying for grants for emergency generators soon after the plant was built, and finally this year secured one. The Federal Emergency Management Agency grant will provide 90% reimbursement to the district. Out of a total project cost of $1,063,456.76, the district will receive $957,111.06 back. 

An April 2021 District Meeting authorized the first batch of funds for the emergency generators — the way the grant works, the district has to spend the money upfront then will get it reimbursed — and the April 2024 District Meeting provided additional funding to meet rising costs.

The district hopes to have a construction bid awarded by this fall, Cunningham said. 

Support equipment

District Meeting also voted to purchase several categories of equipment. 

It authorized $170,000 for two pickup trucks with snow plow prep packages to replace two old trucks from 2013, and $167,437.00 to replace two additional vehicles. 

It additionally authorized $30,000 to purchase 11 gas detectors and $50,000 for vehicle mounted data terminals, which give the fire department better tools to respond to calls. 

District Meeting also voted to commit $40,059.00 as the district’s 10% share of a requested Federal Emergency Management Agency Health and Wellness and Training Grant. 

The $400,590 grant would fund an upgrade to the fire department’s physical fitness room as well as training and equipment for rope rescue, trench rescue and confined space rescue operations.