Hyde Park to get New Tanker
by Ben Hogwood

The Department of Homeland Security, Office of Domestic Preparedness,
Assistance to Firefighers Program awarded the Hyde Park Town Fire
Department a $126,000 grant to purchase a new tanker, on Thursday, July 15.
"As a former volunteer fire-fighter, I know first hand how important it
is to have the best equipment and training to protect our communities,"
said U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords, who was involved in awarding the grant.
Hyde Park Town Fire Chief Ed Webster was delighted to receive the money.
"It's a good shot in the arm for the department," he said. Webster said
the tanker will replace the town's current tanker, which is 25 years
old. If the department had not received the grant, Webster said they
would have asked the town for the money on Town Meeting Day.
Hyde Park competed against fire stations across the country for the
grant, he said, and said they were likely recipients due to both the
economic situation of the town and the need for the new vehicle.
"You can't be an efficient first-responder without having a proper
emergency vehicle to respond with," stated Senator Jeffords, the ranking
member of the State Environment and Public Works Committee, in an email.
That committee has jurisdiction over the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA), part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The
grant comes from the U.S. Fire Administration, a division of FEMA.
Hyde Park now has a total of four vehicles; two pickups, one engine and
the tanker.