Medford Invests Nearly $4.1 Million Dollars in Equipment, Enhancements and Renovations on Fire Department Needs

City to deploy over $4 million in additional Fire Department project funding over the next 3 fiscal years 

The City of Medford has completed nearly $4.1 million worth of renovation work and equipment enhancements recently, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced.

The City has also prioritized over $4 million in additional Capital Improvement funding spread out over the next three fiscal years as well as a $30 million debt exclusion question on the November ballot for the new Fire Headquarters.

“Upon taking office, I knew that prioritizing investments toward renovating and upgrading our fire facilities and equipment was necessary,” Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said. “That’s why I commissioned a Fire Department Facilities Task Force in 2021 to assess the current conditions of our headquarters and substations and make recommendations on how to enhance and support the department. These projects are essential in assisting our firefighters in keeping the community safe.”

This investment in the Medford Fire Department operations and facilities includes the most recent spending on the following projects:

·      Purchasing of new turnout gear: $435,000

·      Purchase of two new Fire Trucks ordered in 2023: $2 million

·      Feasibility study and design work for new Fire Headquarters: $692,000

·      Window replacements at 3 stations: $325,000

·      Apparatus Bay Floor project which also included front ramp, locker installation and garage door framing at Engine 3 Fire Station: $640,000

You can find more information on prior fire department project investments here or here.

While developing the updated Capital Improvement Plan with our Department Heads, which is how we make our investment decisions, for FY23-27, the City has allocated funding to order one additional fire truck in FY25, one additional fire truck in FY26, and one additional fire truck in FY27 totaling approximately $3.6 million. (Pushing the FY26 purchase up to FY25 is being explored.)

The City’s commitment to supporting and enhancing its fire department is reflected in an upcoming question that will appear on the November ballot asking voters to approve a $30 million debt exclusion for the construction of a new fire headquarters.

The $4.1 million Medford has allocated to the City’s five fire substations for equipment improvement and renovation projects recently does not include prior spending or funding for additional projects the City is developing such as the new headquarters, which will be the largest of the City’s fire renovations.

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