An earlier-than-planned purchase of a new air compressor for the Dishawatomi fire station and continued strain on volunteer fire resources were among topics presented to the Miami County Board of Commissioners at their July 30 study session.
Mark Whalen, the county’s fire coordinator, told commissioners the Dishawatomi compressor was originally scheduled for replacement in 2027 under a 50/50 cost split with the city, but the city asked to buy sooner because of shared special pricing. "We'd like to go ahead and waive the bid process on this compressor also," Whalen said, and gave a total price of $56,146.54, with the fire district's share at $28,073.27.
The request was listed as action item No. 1 for the afternoon agenda.
Why it matters: Commissioners were also shown statistics that described an unusually heavy first-quarter fire season driven by grass and hay-bale fires that required sustained volunteer response. The information underscores near-term equipment needs and manpower stress on a largely volunteer system.
Countywide incident and staffing details
- Whalen said countywide incidents rose by 76 calls from the prior year during the first quarter; Miami County Fire District 1 ran 325 incidents in the first quarter compared with 230 the prior year. Whalen reported one sequence of grass fires that jumped K-68 and required mutual aid from Franklin and Johnson counties; no structures were lost.
- Fire-loss numbers presented: Whalen reported a first-quarter fire loss of about $565,000 with a pre-incident value near $558,000. For a second-quarter snapshot, he said loss was about $197,000 against a pre-incident value of about $521,000.
- Volunteers and training: The report listed about 1,140 training hours for 78 volunteers on the roster. Fontana’s roster was described as 12–13 volunteers, up from eight earlier in the year, and district leaders said recruiting has improved.
Specialty teams and readiness
Whalen and others flagged water-rescue coverage as a particular staffing concern. "We are... down to only two water rescue techs" based at the Dishawatomi Station, Whalen said. He said staff plan to open training to full-time firefighters from other departments who already hold certifications and to recruit volunteer candidates and provide the 40-hour training needed to increase coverage.
Equipment lifecycle and resale
Whalen said the department expects the new compressors to last about 20 years with proper maintenance. He also said the county should be able to sell three older compressors through surplus channels, estimating about $5,000 apiece, which would offset part of replacement costs.
What commissioners directed
Commissioners put the compressor purchase and other items on the afternoon action calendar; no final purchasing vote appears in the study session transcript. Commissioners asked for clarification on response-time figures and for follow-up reports on volunteer staffing and training status.
Ending
County staff said they will bring the formal procurement item to the board later in the day for action and will follow up on response-time data and water-rescue staffing. The study session discussion combined near-term equipment requests with broader concerns about sustaining volunteer response for an unusually active fire season.