The Plainsboro Fire District received voter approval for a new 3,500-gallon water tanker at a special capital meeting Sept. 27. All registered voters were eligible to attend and the final vote was 19-0.
The new water tanker will cost up to $450,000 and it will be funded by capital expenses already allocated in the budget. This year’s total budget is $2.136 million and $1.848 million of the budget is funded through local taxation.
The previous water tanker was a 1991 Peterbilt truck which recently had a pump failure. Plainsboro Deputy Fire Chief Scott Kivet surveyed the town and found a quarter of the township and more than 140 structures are in areas not protected by fire hydrants. Southbound U.S. 1 lanes also have limited access to fire hydrants.
The fire district has responded to 12 service calls this year involving the water tanker. In total, the district has responded to 512 emergency calls this year, which includes fires, motor vehicle accidents and searches for missing persons. According to board of commissioners chairman Ted Wagner, the district responded to 621 calls in 2015, a record number. With three months left in the year, the district is on track to exceed last year’s figure.
