Fire Department Forced To Cut Back

Recently the was forced to essentially rob Peter, to pay Paul.  

The fire department had been requesting funds to replace a dilapidated driveway for the last decade. This safety conscious request fell on deaf ears in East Windsor town government, and the driveway became such a safety hazard that it had to be addressed, and other essential items had to be delayed.  

The reason I bring this up for discussion, is there is a rumor around town, in a summation quote "If they had enough money to do that driveway, they must not need it annually."

So, to those who may think this for even a second, let me pass on some information. The driveway section (not complete driveway) that was replaced has to support a 80,000 pound fire truck entering and exiting the building.  

This driveway was a safety hazard for anyone walking over it, and created an unsafe and unreliable way to enter and exit the building with the fire apparatus. It was a lawsuit against the fire district, and the town, waiting to happen.

So to make the needed repairs, the department had to cut spending in several other critical safety areas. Firefighter turnout gear orders had to be delayed. One set of firefighter turnout gear costs roughly $3,000.  

This gear, by national standard, is declared obsolete and MUST be replaced every 10 years. The fire department tries to buy a certain number of sets each year, to never be over burdened, and some of these purchases have now been delayed.

Secondly, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) purchases have also been delayed. A SCBA that is compliant to national safety standards costs $5,500 to replace. Currently, only half of the departments SCBA packs are compliant to the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standard.  

These packs are the most critical tool for being able to do the job of a firefighter. Without them, working in any hazardous environment is not even possible.

Third, SCBA air bottles have been delayed. These air bottles are a secondary cost to the pack itself. These bottles cost roughly $800 to replace.  

For the last six years the department has been replacing them at a steady pace, because in October 2011, nearly half of the departments supply, becomes unusable. After 15 years, the bottles can no longer be used in any fashion, they must be discarded.

In 2013, the rest of the bottles that haven't been replaced will have to be discarded. Delaying purchases of these will lead to a shorter supply of breathable air for firefighters, and that directly jeopardizes everyone's safety.

The fourth critical, life-saving piece of equipment that has been delayed is the purchase of new Automated External Defibrillators. The AEDs the department has in service now, are built on a standard of care that is nearly a decade old. 

They should of been replaced 3 years ago when that standard was ordered to be upgraded. Unfortunately, the AEDs the department (and most of the East Windsor public safety has) are not upgradeable to the new standard, and must be replaced. These units cost nearly $2,000 each.

So, as you can see, after attempting to fix a continually degrading problem, the fire district was forced to make a choice. Delay some critical purchases in order to ensure the safety of the volunteer fire fighters and the public at the station, or, risk a multi-million dollar lawsuit for failing to address a decade old problem. Either way, it was a lose-lose.

Please don't think that the department can suffer any budget cut this upcomming season because this driveway was repaired. It's not fair to the volunteers who dedicate themselves to protecting the public.  

You can not look negatively at the fire district because it was able to effectively rob Peter to pay Paul, and minimize the overall risk to the volunteers and the townspeople.