FIRE DEPARTMENT FY16 CAPITAL REQUESTS Request Summary: First section contains requests to come from the general Capital acc the second section contains items that would be funded by the Ambulance Receipts Reserved for ‘unt, Appropriation account. (Each section listed in priority order as appears on Capital Request Summary Spreadsheet). Requests from general Capital Account: 1. $12,000,000 = Design and construct Fire Headquarters 2. $306,000 = Replace Breathing Apparatus 3. $45,000 = Replace "Jaws of Life" for E-1 and E-2 4. $31,000 = Replace Staff Vehicle 5. $18,000 = Replace Fire Hose 6. $40,000 = Replace Protective Gear 7. $26,790 = Replace Utility Van Requests from Ambulance Receipts account: 1. $17,000 = Replace Automatic External Defibrillators 2. $30,000 = Purchase Heart Monitor / Defibrillator 3. $15,000 = Replace Ambulance Laptop computers 4. $10,000 = Replace Stair Chairs 5. $5,000 = Replace Scoop Stretchers Explantation & Rationale: A. Requests from General Capital account: 1. $12,000,000 / Design and Construct Fire Headquarters This is a capital building project intended to replace the aging Central Fire Station (which will be 90 years old next year) with a modern facility likely to be located somewhere south of the town center. Costs include land acquisition, design, and construction. Thiswould be a bonded Project. Further details will be available to the JCPC at the Fire department Capital request hearing. 2. $306,000 / Breathing Apparatus This would be to replace the department's entire cache of breathing apparatus or “SCBAs" (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus). These are the units that firefighters wear for breathing when they enter a dangerous atmosphere. Each unit consists of a harness and regulator, an air tank, and a mask. The current units are nearing 15 years old and the air bottles are required by federal mandate to be retired after 15 years. The existing. units also do not meet the requirements of the latest NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standard for firefighter breathing apparatus. This project would replace all of the department's approx. 45 harnesses, 90 air bottles, and 100 masks with new units that meet the latest standards. The department sought a federal grant last year as part of a regional grant application with neighboring towns to fund this project but was unsuccessful in obtaining the grant. This year we have again applied for a federal grant just for our department - expected time to hear the outcome of the grant is summer 2015. 3. $45,000 / "Jaws of Life" This project would be to replace the hydraulic extrication tools, commonly known as the “Jaws of Life" on our two front line engines. These tools are used primarily for freeing patients that are trapped in motor vehicles following a collision. Each unit currently consists of a gasoline powered motor, hydraulic hoses, a cutting tool, a spreading tool, and aram. The existing units are 15 years old. One of the current units failed last year and was deemed to be unrepairable by the manufacturer and so is out of service leaving us with just one working unit on our first due engines. The new units would either be like replacements with newer models or we may replace them with newer technology units which are battery powered and thus eliminates the gasoline motor and hoses. 4. $31,000 / Staff vehicle This vehicle would be part of our normal replacement of aging staff cars. It would replace an 11-year old, eight cylinder vehicle with over 125,000 miles on it that is currently assigned to the Central Station Captain. This new vehicle would be similar to the fuel efficient vehicle purchased two years ago and will be assigned to one of the Assistant Fire Chiefs; the present Assistant Chief's vehicle will be reassigned to the Central Station. The vehicle being replaced will either be traded-in or donated to one of the local vocational school programs.5. $18,000 / Fire Hose /e would purchase @ This is to continue with the periodic replacement of fire hose, W 21/2" hose diameters) attack lines (forestry, 13/4" and ) hose used for supply lines from as failed over recent will be distributed variety of hose sizes used as fire as well as a small quantity of the larger (4” diameter! fire hydrants to fire engines. We would be replacing hose that h years during operations or during annual hose testing. The hose between our various engines, ladder truck, and brush truck, 6. $40,000 / Protective Gear This is a continuation of an annual capital request to maintain a regular cycle of replacing the protective gear that each firefighter wears. Replacement of firefighter boots) is required every five years due to protective gear (helmet, coat, bunker pants, high usage and to meet national standards (NFPA). Sunlight and other environmental ble. Incident factors serve to break down the critical elements of the protective ensem response also contributes to equipment degradation over time. We seek a set funding amount, $40,000/yr., each fiscal year, to replace protective gear on a regular basis as needed thus providing the protection needed to operate in hostile and hazardous environments. This annual amount is enough to purchase approximately twenty sets of gear. With our Career, Call and Student firefighters we have approximately one hundred members, plus our full-time firefighters (45) need two sets of gear each. An annual purchase of twenty new sets of gear maintains the five year replacement cycle. 7. $26,790 / Utility Van This new 15-passenger van will replace our current 1997 van. The current van was purchased used by the department in 2000 and currently has 89,000 miles on it. The current vehicle has growing maintenance needs due to its age and mileage, and is not equipped with newer safety features such as anti-lock brakes. This vehicle is used as a personnel transport vehicle for bringing personnel to and from large emergency scenes, as well as is used for transportation of personnel to and from drills in town and classes out of town, including trips to the Massachusetts and National Fire Academies. The vehicle being repl. ill eit -i 1g replaced will either be traded-in or donated to one of the local vocational school programs.air down the have a tracked mechanism that allows the paramedics to guide the ch ith the stairs as opposed to the paramedics having to bear all the weight and carry it wi patient's weight. 5. $5,000 / Scoop stretchers This is to purchase five replacement scoop stretchers. A scoop stretcher is like a backboard, but is curved to match the contour of a body, and can be split in half ona hinge so that it can be carefully placed under an injured patient and then be closed around them so they can be lifted and placed on a wheeled stretcher. The current scoop stretchers are over ten years old and have been heavily used. Newer model scoop stretchers have seen design changes to improve patient comfort when using the device.