A recent inspection of the fire department’s personal protective equipment revealed some of the older sets were outdated and unfit for use.
In an effort to keep his crews and public safe, Merritt’s fire chief Dave Tomkinson is looking for money to replace aging oxygen tanks, old and damaged personal protective equipment, self-contained breathing apparatuses and even a new pumper truck.
At the top of Tomkinson’s list is $56,319 for new oxygen cylinders and $242,000 for self-contained breathing apparatuses that would give firefighters even more breathing room — 45 minutes to be exact, up from 30.
Tomkinson explained that the old 30-minute cylinders may only last up to 15 minutes in hard breathing conditions, leaving only minutes of air in the cylinder for a firefighter to escape a structure once the low-air alarm goes off.
Information presented to the public on behalf of the Merritt Fire Rescue Department at a budget open house on March 5. (Dara Hill/Herald).
The department’s current haul of breathing apparatuses are 12 years old and now outside of warranty, Tomkinson explained. Five have been out of order so far in 2019, he added.
“We’ve spent almost $5,000 [on repairs] so far this year, and we’re only in the beginning of March,” he said.
“They are a priority because we have 24 packs and 45 people, which means not everyone on the fire ground has respiratory protection,” he said. “It is time for us to start to look at replacing them from the eye of firefighter safety and the fact that it is costing us quite a bit of money.”
A snapshot of Tominkson’s presentation (Dara Hill/Herald).
A recent inspection of the department’s personal protective equipment revealed some of the older sets were unfit for use as the moisture barrier was not functioning properly. Tomkinson has earmarked $6,000 to replace these sets.
Getting into more classrooms and seniors’ homes to educate the public is another goal of Tomkinson’s. He has his eye on $36,000 for a part-time fire safety educator.
“We think we can divert the money that is already going to the FireSmart program to reduce the overall cost to just $8,200 this year, and we will still be able to accomplish all of our tasks plus more,” he said.
Other plans include $5,000 each for prescribed burning and goat grazing for fuel management between Central Park and properties on Parker Drive.
Tomkinson said he is confident a herd of goats will be available to chomp down on Merritt’s wildfire threat this spring. (Herald files).
The department failed to secure the herd of goats last year, but Tomkinson said he is confident the goats will be available to chomp down on Merritt’s wildfire threat this spring.
“You can imagine, especially after last year’s fires, they are in hot demand,” he said. “And there are not enough herds out there — that would be a great business for someone out there to consider.”
Tomkinson signalled he would like to purchase a new truck with a greater pumping capacity in 2020 to replace its 25-year-old successor, and said planning should begin this year.
With a price tag of $400,000, Tomkinson admitted it is a “big ask,” but noted he already has $100,000 available from the TNRD for singing a fire protection agreement to service areas outside of city limits.
Merritt’s fire chief Dave Tomkinson presents his department’s plans to the public at a budget open house on March. 5. (Dara Hill/Herald)
The next opportunity for community members to get a firsthand feel of where tax dollars are being allocated this year is at a budget discussion meeting in the council chambers on March 18 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., then again the following night — March 19 — from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
