Fire Board Approves Purchase Of New Protective Gear
Turkey Creek Fire Board Monday, Feb. 12, unanimously approved Fire Chief Mickey Scott’s request for $139,761 for new firefighter personal protective equipment.
The request was just under the $140,000 budgeted for the purchase.
“We are purchasing from two different vendors to obtain the best pricing,” said Scott. The equipment includes helmets, visors, insulated fire boots, gloves, SCBA masks and other articles of clothing.
The current protective equipment was acquired in 2008 and federal regulations require personal protective gear to be replaced every 10 years.
Scott presented his first 2018 monthly report, which included:
• The department responded to 19 fire calls and 120 EMS calls in January. The territory suffered $243,500 in property loss during the month, but department action saved $50,000 in property value.
“January was the second highest run volume in more than 10 years,” observed Scott. “We would like to publicly express our gratitude and say thank you to our neighboring fire and EMS agencies for the assistance they have provided us not only in January but on several occasions in the past.
“It is comforting to know we have neighboring departments willing to assist our department when we request their services and our department will always proudly provide assistance to these agencies when we are requested.”
• Department personnel underwent 395 hours of fire and EMS training in January. Topics included school bus emergencies, fire inspections, disaster preplanning, defensive tactics, rescue procedures on ice, active shooter incident response, diabetic emergencies, CPR, psychiatric emergencies, terrorism and SCBA drills.
• The department received a grant for the purchase of naloxone, a prescription medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. “We will be conducting training classes for members of our department who have not already been trained in the administration of this potentially live-saving medication,” Scott said.
• The architect for the proposed improvements to the territory’s two fire stations provided an application for construction design release to begin the bid process.
Scott also announced two upcoming events.
• Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory will host several informational Insurance Services Organization meetings to help communities improve their fire protection class. The sessions will be held Thursday, March 1, in the multi-purpose room of the Kosciusko County Justice Building in Warsaw.
Scott encouraged members of the fire board, township board and town council to attend “in order to provide a better understanding how we can improve our current ISO rating,” which invariably results in lower property insurance premiums for residents and business owners.
• From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 10, the department will host a training exercise highlighting response to a rail car incident involving crude, ethanol and other flammable liquids. The event is open to the public and will take place at the Syracuse Community Center, 1013 N. Long Drive. Call (574) 457-6917 to reserve a seat.
The board will next meet at 6:45 p.m. Monday, March 12, at Syracuse Town Hall.