Follow-up: Taking a closer look at fire gear cleaning costs for Waitsfield

Following up on the issue of the cost of cleaning local firefighters' gear, The Valley Reporter reached out to Craig Snell, assistant fire chief for the Waitsfield Fayston Volunteer Fire Department. Per state and federal regulations, firefighters’ turn out gear must be washed with a specific type of washing machine extractor capable of removing the carcinogens and other toxins firefighters are exposed to when fighting fires. In November 2021 Snell said that the Waitsfield Fayston Fire Department was granted an extractor from the Leary Foundation. “Soon after we received notice of the award, we notified the Waitsfield Select board,” Snell said. That extractor arrived in early 2022, an $8000 piece of equipment funded by the Leary Foundation. Firefighters intended to hook up the extractor to the septic system at the firehouse - which Snell said other fire departments do.
The Valley Reporter

Derby Line man arrested for stealing truck & ATM before setting them on fire in Troy

After an investigation that lasted nearly a year a Derby Line man has been arrested in connection to a stolen pick-up truck, trailer, and an ATM that were all set on fire in Troy last May. Police arrested Travis Columbia, 46, on Friday and he’s scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday. Columbia is facing charges of unlawful mischief and arson, grand larceny, aggravated operating with owner consent, and two counts of burglary. According to investigators, Columbia stole a Ford F-550 truck and an attached cattle trailer from Chaput’s Family Farm late at night on May 27, 2023. Police say Columbia then went to a closed restaurant on Route 105 in Newport Center and forced his way in to steal an ATM. Investigators say Columbia then drove the truck, with the ATM in the trailer, to River Road in Troy and lit the truck and ATM on fire. North Troy Fire Dept. responded to extinguish the fire.
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