Canton's firefighters' union says a new aerial fire tower has been ordered for the department, a purchase that appears to be the largest single equipment buy in the town's current capital plan.
Canton Firefighters IAFF Local 1580 announced on X on Sunday, Oct. 18, that "the Tower that was approved at Town Meeting has been ordered." The union said updates would follow as the process moves forward.
The order appears to correspond to a planned replacement of the department's 2001 E-One ladder truck. Canton's Capital Planning Committee recommended that replacement at $1,810,000, voting 4-0-0 in favor. The item was listed under Article 15, the town's annual capital spending plan for fiscal year 2027.
According to the committee's vote sheet, the replacement would be funded through debt service paid by ambulance receipts rather than cash capital or general fund borrowing.
The union's post described the tower as "approved at Town Meeting." Canton's Annual Town Meeting was scheduled for May 11 at Morse Auditorium in Canton High School, where the Finance Committee's recommendations placed the capital outlay program on the warrant. No official record of the final Town Meeting vote on the item appeared in the documents reviewed.
The fire department also secured a recommendation for $110,000 in cash capital for a separate feasibility study through the same capital plan. That item passed the Capital Planning Committee 4-0-0 as well.
Fire Chief Jamie Meier leads the department as it prepares for the new apparatus. Local 1580 announced on X on May 20 that the Select Board had chosen Meier as Canton's next fire chief.
The union did not specify a delivery timeline or the manufacturer of the new tower in its Oct. 18 post. Residents can track updates through the department's X account, @cantonfire1580.
