On Monday night, the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen Committee on Community Improvement recommended initiating a request for proposals for a new engine for the Manchester Fire Department before the start of the 2022/2023 Fiscal Year.
Manchester Central Fleet Services Director Jonathan Hopkins informed the committee that at some point the Fire Department will transition to electric-powered engines, but currently the city could buy three non-electric vehicles for the cost of an electric one.
Hopkins said that new tools and training for mechanics will also be needed when the city makes the eventual transition to electric vehicles for the fire department. He added that grants are available for electric fire engines, but the grants are complicated and restrictive, and require the grantor to witness the drilling of a hole through the engine block of the old non-electric engine that the electric vehicle will replace.