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County fire chief outlines volunteer force, new apparatus coming; commissioners push standardization
Summary
Fire Chief Roger Groves reported on volunteer staffing, station apparatus and training; commissioners discussed recent and proposed vehicle purchases and asked that departments move toward standardized equipment and color schemes.
Chief Roger Groves, Grant County Fire Chief, briefed the commission Jan. 7 on volunteer department staffing and apparatus. He said about 190 volunteer firefighters serve across 21 county fire stations and that civil aviation rescue and firefighting (ARFF) staff operate at the Grant County Airport. Groves noted the county has roughly 90 pieces of firefighting apparatus and described training, a new skid unit for a side-by-side vehicle that holds 85 gallons of water, and plans for another ARFF vehicle to arrive later this year.
Why it matters: Groves’ update contextualized consideration of several grant-funded apparatus purchases presented later in the meeting packet. Commissioners discussed standardizing apparatus color schemes and equipment to improve interoperability and maintenance. Chief Groves and county staff said standardization is the goal but will take multiple purchasing cycles because departments have varying vendor preferences and recently purchased disparate gear.
Grants and purchases discussed at the session (presented for Thursday consideration) included grant-funded purchases of a 4x4 water tender and wildland interface engine for volunteer departments and a Freightliner pumper for Fort Bayard Fire Department (the pumper would use a $600,000 grant, an insurance settlement of roughly $155,423.67, and a requested county contribution of $10,960.33). Commissioners asked whether the new pumper replaces the vehicle lost in a rollover; staff confirmed it was a replacement and discussed funding sources.
Chief Groves said many annual maintenance and testing functions are performed by outside vendors due to limited in-county certified mechanics; commissioners suggested centralized scheduling to save on vendors’ travel costs and asked about training to allow cross-operation if departments assist one another on incidents.
Ending: Commissioners and staff agreed standardization of equipment and colors is a stated goal and that further coordination and procurement planning will be required across departments and purchase cycles; the related procurement and grant approvals were scheduled for the regular meeting agenda.
