New Canaan Fire Commission orders $7,600 repair for Engine 4

Other Committee · Meeting of January 13, 2026

New Canaan Fire Commission orders a $7,600 pump fix for Engine 4 after a union safety grievance. Lieutenant Kevin Betty's grievance, filed the day of the meeting, said the reserve pumper ran in frontline service after an uncertified, in-house wiring fix he and firefighter Ed Quarl made was only ordered removed in November over liability concerns. Fire Chief Basset said he paused funded repairs in February 2025 due to budget constraints and other apparatus needs.

A retired firefighter, Mike, told commissioners, "I'm just concerned about making sure that the guys are safe, our customers, taxpayers are safe." Commissioners agreed to the $7,600 repair and a full pump diagnosis, with a further $50,000 possibly needed to restore full 1,500-gallon-per-minute capacity, and will respond formally to the grievance at their February 10 meeting. New Canaan's FY26 fire budget stood at 53 percent spent as of January 2.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 900 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of January 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — January 13, 2026 — The New Canaan Fire Commission directed the fire department to spend $7,600 to rewire and reassess the pump on Engine 4 after a firefighters union grievance argued the reserve pumper had been run in frontline service without repair by a certified technician.

The grievance, filed the day of Tuesday's meeting by Lieutenant Kevin Betty, traces the truck's pump problems back to February 2025 and says commissioners were never told that an informal, in-house fix, done by Betty and firefighter Ed Quarl, kept the derated engine in service through the fall before officials ordered it undone in November over liability concerns. Commissioners said they would respond to the grievance formally at their February 10 meeting.

The Full Story

Betty told commissioners that Engine 4, the department's backup pumper, had a work order in February 2025 documenting that its pump would not engage. Repairs were paused that spring pending further diagnosis, and Betty and Quarl spent the summer troubleshooting the truck's electrical system themselves. A pump test in August by John Shump of Northeastern Fire Equipment showed the pump worked but had to be derated below its rated 1,500 gallons-per-minute capacity because of worn valves. The truck was then used for training and limited calls, going into pump "100 percent of the time" it was tested, Betty said, until commissioners learned in November that the wiring fix had never been done by a licensed emergency vehicle technician and asked that it be removed.

Fire Chief Basset told commissioners he made the decision in February not to fund further pump repairs at the time because of other apparatus needs and uncertainty over the FY25 budget, and that the truck went back into limited use once Betty and Quarl's informal fix appeared to be working. A commissioner pushed back on running the engine that way. "I'm not comfortable sitting here, and I think that's why I'd asked Lieutenant Betty to remove whatever he had done," the commissioner said. A retired New Canaan firefighter identified during the meeting only as Mike, who said he had recently left the department, pressed officials on why the truck sat unresolved for months while the town also has Engine 1 out for body work. "I'm just concerned about making sure that the guys are safe, our customers, taxpayers are safe," he said.

Commissioners ultimately agreed to pay for the $7,600 rewiring quote, tied to the pump manufacturer Hale, and to get a single vendor's full diagnosis of the pump rather than relying on conflicting opinions from the three companies that have worked on the truck. A further pump "belly" replacement, if needed to restore full capacity, could cost roughly $50,000 more, officials said, with a new engine expected to arrive in eight to nine months. Separately, commissioners learned that insurance money meant for Engine 4's body damage was deposited into a general apparatus repair account and spent on other trucks without the chief's knowledge; only the roughly $5,600 door repair was billed against it.

The meeting also covered a backlog of fleet issues: Engine 2's water tank leaks on inclines, Engine 7 needs motor work covered by an expanded $145,000 FY27 mobile equipment repair line, and Tanker 8's corroded frame rails remain unresolved more than six months after a Wisconsin-based assessor, Crave, was asked to evaluate the truck for a possible refurbishment. Fire Marshal Paul reported four fire responses in December, including a chimney fire at 110 Sagamore Trail and an oven fire at 21 Maple Street, plus a new blasting permit for 76 Louise's Lane and a new pet store planned for the former bank building at 272 Elm Street. The department's FY26 budget stood at 53 percent spent and 44 percent encumbered as of January 2.

"I made that management decision not to put the money into it in February based on where we were with the other trucks that we're trying to fix," Fire Chief Basset said.

Why It Matters

New Canaan currently has Engine 1 out of service for body work at the same time Engine 4's pump reliability is in dispute, leaving the department leaning on Engine 7 and Engine 2, which residents were told has its own water tank leak. The union grievance puts a formal timeline on record showing nearly a year passed between the first documented pump failure and a resolution, and forces the commission to decide by its February 10 meeting how it will respond. The $7,600 repair and pending frame-rail assessment on Tanker 8 will shape how much backup firefighting capacity the town has until a new engine arrives, expected in roughly eight to nine months.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Add the union grievance discussion to the meeting agenda Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve the minutes of the last regular meeting Tally: Approved unanimously - Action: Commission directed the department to spend $7,600 to rewire Engine 4's pump shift and obtain a full mechanical evaluation — Continued formal response to the union grievance to the February 10, 2026 meeting - Action: Commission agreed to accept the Lions Club's proposed $1,000 to $2,000 donation for employee and volunteer safety equipment, likely protective eyewear — use to be determined - Vote: Motion to adjourn at 6:11 p.m. Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Town Of New Canaan: Fire Commission meeting, January 13, 2026