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Miami County to consider private vendor for annual hose testing; estimated county cost about $13,000
Summary
Fire coordinator Mark Whalen told commissioners chiefs prefer a private vendor to conduct annual hose testing, citing liability where testing records don't exist and a vendor estimate of roughly $13,000 to cover the county’s Miami-area stations.
Mark Whalen said all four chiefs recommended hiring a private vendor to perform annual fire-hose testing after some departments reported no prior testing records. Whalen told the board the vendor’s trailer can test about 10 hoses at a time on 300-foot lines and that county testing would likely require "multiple days" with one day per station as a baseline.
Whalen warned of liability where no testing records exist and cited national standards: "The new NFPA standard says 10 years," he said, while adding that professionally conducted testing and retained records reduce legal exposure. When the commission queried cost, a commissioner said, "That's roughly $13,000," and Whalen confirmed: "About $13,000."
Commissioners discussed operational details — shifting Fontana apparatus to Assawatomie for adequate water supply, using city engines to pressurize test lines, and possible volunteer-stipend incentives to boost attendance. Whalen said testing in-house requires significant training-time tradeoffs and chief officers reported lower turnout for internal testing nights.
The board placed the hose-testing procurement on unfinished business to revisit in the afternoon session, asking Whalen to provide any additional scheduling and cost breakdowns for a final decision.
