Board reviews MOU to let Amherst temporarily use surplus SCBA cascade purchased under FEMA grant

The Chief told the board the department has an extra cascade system for filling SCBA bottles that was purchased under a FEMA grant and therefore cannot be sold or liquidated. “We have cascade system that, we purchased under a grant back in 2018,” the Chief said.

He said Amherst’s cascade had failed and the town has no immediate funding to replace it, so Amherst would travel outside its community to refill SCBA bottles. The Chief said New Boston requested permission from FEMA for Amherst to use New Boston’s cascade temporarily, and FEMA approved the concept. Under the draft memorandum of understanding, Amherst would not own the unit but would pay for moving it and for maintenance while it is in their possession.

The Chief asked board members to review the draft agreement and raise any concerns; no board member objected at the meeting. The Chief said the town administrator is presenting the same package to other town managers concurrently and, if approved, the MOU would be finalized and the transfer would proceed.

The board did not take a formal vote on the MOU at this meeting; the Chief indicated operational details such as testing, air-quality checks and a full run-through would occur when the unit is placed in service.

Next steps include finalizing the MOU language and adding any required operational clauses before executing the agreement.