By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — A financial gift of $30,000 to the town’s Fire Department from Amazon Robotics of North Reading was accepted with the gratitude of the Select Board Monday night.
Fire Chief Don Stats was also on hand to accept the gift which will be used to purchase a utility vehicle known as a UTV that will enable the Fire Department to gain better access to remote wooded areas when fighting woodland and brush fires.
Given the extent of the forest fires battled by his department over the course of several weeks last fall, both in town and while providing mutual aid to bordering towns such as Middleton, it was agreed that this would be a beneficial use of a one-time gift.
With the ongoing drought throughout the state, forest fires have already begun again this spring with North Reading Fire recently providing mutual aid to Middleton.
The Select Board accepted the gift unanimously for the Fire Department’s gift account.