First Response Committee hears fire department report as station runs out of garage space; pay increase cleared for commission agenda

Mark Beeler, speaking for the fire department, told the First Response Services Committee that Brush 12 — the truck that had been wrecked and recently repaired by Blankenship — is back in service but the station has no room left indoors to store additional vehicles.

The lack of indoor parking followed Beeler’s report on equipment, calls and training and a committee vote to approve last month’s minutes. "Now that we have that truck back in the fire station, we're out of garage space," Beeler said. "I had warned you all about this a year or more ago, and, we are truly out." The committee approved the minutes of the prior meeting on a motion by David Nollner, seconded by Judy Kerr.

The report covered December 1 through May 20 and documented 59 calls in that period: eight structure fires, 10 grass fires (four of which were responses to controlled burns), two vehicle fires, two motor vehicle accidents, five gas leaks, three public assistance calls, one equipment call and 24 false alarms. Of the 59 calls, 31 were emergency and 19 nonemergency; the average response time on emergency calls was a little over six and a half minutes and the overall response time was 8.36 minutes. Beeler said the department is averaging slightly more than eight firefighters per call.

Beeler said the department is continuing the current training model of a three-hour, hands-on session once a month and is also using online modules available through Vector Solutions. "I did tell the firemen even though that we have this type of training, we're not gonna include their time spent for online classes, in the pay," he said. He added that online training hours will be submitted through the Acata system for state credit but will not be paid time; only hands-on training will be paid.

The report listed equipment and funding items: the department has received two gas detection meters, hydrant valves and 10 buckets of firefighting foam; about a third of the radios have been updated so far as part of a radio-upgrade plan, and an additional batch of handheld radios and the truck mobile radios are pending. Beeler said the department has ordered five sets of turnout gear and has supplemented Brush 12 with additional equipment that had not been included originally. He said the department is awaiting about $11,800 in Enbridge funds expected in June, which will be used for radio upgrades.

Committee members pressed Beeler about options to house vehicles. He said the mayor provided the name of an engineer, Michael Oakley, who performed a walk-through in February and is preparing cost estimates for a possible garage addition on the station's back side. "He's had feet on the ground with us. He's out of Lebanon," Beeler said. Beeler also reported he had heard only that Oakley was "still working on prices." When asked about construction types, Beeler said the architect had suggested a hardened steel-and-concrete structure but that stick-built, metal-sided additions were also options.

Beeler told the committee that "pay for firefighters did pass through this committee" and that he had met with budget and finance; he said the resulting resolution to change the pay from $30 to $50 will be included in the June county commission agenda. The committee did not take a commission-level vote at the meeting.

Committee members asked whether an earlier study on merging fire and rescue units by Kevin Lauer had been released. Beeler said the report was completed and had been given to the mayor to decide when — or whether — to release it. "The mayor commissioned that, so it will be the mayor's decision when to release that and talk about it," Beeler said. Several committee members said they would like to see the report because its findings could affect storage and consolidation options.

The fire station building was repainted and carpets and tile floors were cleaned as part of maintenance; Beeler said the station is 10 years old and staff considered the maintenance necessary. He closed his report by inviting questions from the committee.

Less-critical items discussed at the end of Beeler’s presentation included options for temporary off-site storage and whether scattering equipment would slow response times. Beeler said the department prefers a single, centralized location for equipment to avoid delays in response.