Trenton approves furnishings for new fire station and considers turnout gear dryer

City fire administration presented two capital requests related to the new fire station and the council approved furniture purchases while authorizing procurement for a gear dryer.

Fire Chief Hawkins told the council that turnout gear is washed in a commercial extractor and then hung to dry, and that NFPA guidance recommends proper drying to reduce contaminant exposure. The chief recommended purchasing a heated-air dryer (referred to in the transcript as a ‘‘TG4H’’ unit by Ram Air) that the department said ‘‘meets the NFPA’s recommendations for drying gear’’ and noted the unit’s faster drying times compared with older models. The transcript records an amount for the dryer that appears garbled ("$11,39.91"); that figure could not be verified from the record and is marked as not specified in this report.

The council also approved a Dream Seat furniture purchase for the new station. The fire administration reported a quoted total of $24,249.35 to furnish the station and said the purchase would be funded from the municipal building improvement bond capital account. The chief noted the department intends to move its current extractor to the new building pending recent service and parts updates.

What happens next: procurement and scheduling for the dryer and furniture will be handled by fire administration and the city’s purchasing processes; the furniture order was approved at the meeting and the dryer authorization was presented and ordered as part of the consent approvals recorded.