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Candia selectmen authorize $37,000 ventilation system for fire station
Summary
The Candia Board of Selectmen authorized town staff to begin procurement of a filtration/ventilation system for the fire station, with an estimated cost of about $37,000 to be paid from a trust fund; the board discussed maintenance costs and the trustees' reimbursement process.
The Candia Board of Selectmen on Feb. 24 authorized town staff to begin the procurement process for a filtration and ventilation system at the town fire station, with an estimated cost of about $37,000.
The board voted to authorize Chief Rugg to begin the process after hearing that the units would extract and filter apparatus exhaust inside the four apparatus bays. The system vendor is listed as a company based in Dover; selectmen said they checked installations in other towns that have similar units and reported positive results.
The board emphasized the system's health and safety purpose. Selectmen said the units activate automatically when a truck is started, run while the apparatus is out, and run for a period after return to filter the bay air. The units use inexpensive monthly filters and larger, about-$500 filters that must be replaced roughly every two years.
Funding for the purchase and installation will come from a town trust fund. Selectmen described the town process: the board approves a purchase and then seeks reimbursement through the trustees of the trust fund; trustees’ processing can take about six weeks from invoice submission. The board moved and seconded the authorization and approved it by voice vote; the meeting record does not list a numerical roll-call tally.
Board members discussed alternatives and noted the units are portable and could be moved to a future station if the town builds a new facility. Several members said they were reluctant to spend the money but agreed the upgrade was necessary for long-term firefighter health.
The board did not cite a Department of Labor order requiring the system; members said the change was not mandated but strongly recommended by some experts and that the units are preferable to older exhaust-collection systems incompatible with the station’s layout.
Selectmen instructed staff to proceed with procurement and to submit invoices to the trustees of the trust fund for reimbursement once work is complete.
