This year the Provincetown Fire Department answered approximately 212 calls. Calls for fire and rescue continue to increase every year. Once again, we consider ourselves very fortunate that they were all answered safely. A longer season and more visitors place greater demands on this department.

The tragic events of September 11, 2001 made us all realize that we are the first line of defense during any and all types of disasters. The threat of terrorism continues. Fortunately we have not been called upon lately to investigate suspicious envelopes. We continue to train and we are now aware that our job is much more than fire prevention, protection, suppression, and advanced life support. This is a new and different type of challenge for the fire service. Provincetown is very fortunate to have a group of volunteers who are so dedicated and do their very best to meet this challenge.

On December 17, 2004 we took delivery of new Fire Engine 3. This fire engine was custom built for us by Ferrara Fire Apparatus of Holden, Louisiana and will be housed at the Shank Painter Road Main Fire Station. We are pleased with this new engine and are sure it will serve the town for at least the next twenty years. This is only the third new fire engine that the Town of Provincetown has purchased since 1976.

The town had a program where every year they would put money aside in a fire vehicle account and every twenty years they would buy a new truck. However, new trucks were too tall to fit into our old stations so we had to wait until we moved into our new station to start replacing trucks. This caused us to fall behind on our replacement program and now we are in the process of catching up. The Rescue Squad purchases all of their own equipment, with the exception of the trucks, with funds that the members raise through the Rescue Squad Association. If it weren't for their efforts our operating budget would be considerably more. Once we get these vehicles replaced we will be back on track and will be replacing the fire trucks every twenty years and the rescue trucks every eight years.

We took delivery on July 1, 2004 of a new Car 1. The old Car 1 was a 1992 Ford Explorer and was in very poor condition. We are requesting that Engine 194 be approved for replacement in fiscal year 2006. Engine 194 is a 1980 Mack 1000 gallon per minute engine and is in need of replacement. This is the last truck in our fleet that needs to be replaced.

Our goal has always been to operate as a volunteer department for as long as possible. This not only saves the town a great deal of money but it provides a large number of personnel to any type of incident when needed. If we had a full time department, you would get two or three firemen on duty for that shift and most times that would not be enough personnel to handle an incident. To date our system works well. Our members give a great deal of their time for little or no compensation. This is a very dangerous business and all they ask for is the proper equipment to protect both the fire volunteers and the citizens of Provincetown is essential. We are thankful for everyone's support of this department.

The Firemen's Association raises money to make improvements around the station, purchase equipment, maintain the Franklin J. Oliver Scholarship Fund, and for other projects as needed. We are still in the process of having our 1936 American LaFrance fire engine completely restored. This is the oldest motorized piece of fire apparatus that we managed to retain. When the restoration work on this vehicle is completed and displayed, everyone will be able to enjoy this beautiful classic.

We continue to plan for the future and are always looking for better ways to serve the citizens of Provincetown. Once again, I would like to thank everyone for their generous donations to the Firemen's Association and the Rescue Squad Association. Your donations make it possible for these organizations to purchase much needed equipment for our department. I would also like to thank the dedicated Fire and Rescue members for always being there, and Town Manager Keith A. Bergman, the Board of Selectman, Fire Inspector Ed Schneiderhan and all other Town Departments and the citizens of Provincetown for their continued cooperation and support. A special thanks to Deputy Town Accountant Babe (Irene) Silva, and to Fire Department Secretary Joyce Mathews, I just couldn't do this job without her.

Respectfully submitted,

Mike Trovato

Fire Chief