’26 Article 27 – Firefighters Turn Out Gear Capital Reserve Fund – $40,000 UFB

To see if the Town of Hampton will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $40,000 for the purpose of adding to the Firefighters Turn Out Gear/Personal Protective Equipment Capital Reserve Fund previously established under Article 17 of the 2019 Town Meeting.  Said sum of $40,000 to come from the Unassigned Fund Balance.

What it means: In 2019, voters approved $200,000 for a new Capital Reserve Fund for the replacement of Firefighter’s Protective Gear. This fund needs to be added to regularly, so that as gear is replaced using money withdrawn from the fund, additional funds will be available for the next round of replacements. Currently, the PPE the Town purchases through this fund includes firefighter coat (roughly $2,500), pants (roughly $2,200) and boots ($700). This Article would transfer the funds from the Unassigned Fund Balance to the Turnout Gear Reserve Fund.

Those in favor say: This is an annual procedure to keep our Firefighters safe. A single set of firefighting gear costs over $5,000. There are strict standards with regard to the amount of service before the gear must be replaced, and that has meant 4-5 new sets of equipment each year. To cover this expense, a reserve fund was established in 2019 and needs to be regularly replenished. This Article allows funds to be taken from the Unassigned Fund Balance for the replenishment.

Fiscal impact: No tax impact in 2026, as the funds will be withdrawn from the Unassigned Fund Balance.