Garden City Fire District Report

 

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times 

GARDEN CITY, Utah. March 20, 2014. The 90-day probation period for the new fire chief has expired.  Mike Wahlberg was asked to sign the new contract as fire chief.

Chief Wahlberg reported that there had been some changes in the remodel of the fire building.  The windows are fine and don’t need to be replaced.  Monies that were to be used to make that change are now going to be used for shelving.  The south wall of the training room will have shelving from the floor to the ceiling.  Along the media wall, the shelving will be cabinet height, and more shelves will be placed in the Captain’s office.  The fire department is in need of more places to store their equipment.  The shelves will help in taking care of all the items that are currently on the floor around the main room.

Chief Wahlberg reported that Engine 40 has been repaired.  Also, the fire district has started a wild land fire fighter I class.  There are eight students in the class—all from Garden City.  The State UFDA Grant money has now been released and was used to reimburse the accounts used for purchases made last September.

A water line has broken near the tender 40 truck and the engine bay door.  The water has had to be turned off while repairs are made.  The new cement and asphalt will have to be damaged during this repair.  The budget won’t cover this repair and the Chief may have to use some of the savings to pay for this cost.  This break falls under the emergency clause that requires an immediate fix. Lutz should be on site the next day to take care of this problem.

The Employee Handbook is currently being worked on.  Suggested changes have been marked in red, and board members were asked to comment on these items.  The discussion covered mainly sick days, vacation days, time off days, and so forth.  A list of government holidays is included in the handbook, but the chief has the freedom to choose other holidays instead of the standard because of fire danger during the summer months when his services are in greater demand.  The board requested that any personal days be cleared through the board.

Rescue 40 has had new tires mounted on it.  One of the previous tires went bad, and the Chief decided that regular tires would work fine.  The three good remaining tires have been put away and perhaps can be sold later.  They cost the District approximately $600 each.

The following responses for the month are as follows:  1 carbon monoxide call, 1 County callout, 6 medical assists, 14 building inspections, and 10 burn permits were granted.

Water rates will be increasing.  The Fire District may need to conduct a study to determine if the District’s impact fees need to be increased.  There is also an increase in property tax this year.  Inspection fees may also need to be considered at the next meeting.