Federal grant will help put computers in firetrucks
The Spokane Valley Fire Department has received a federal grant to install computers in its fire trucks.
The $218,754 grant will pay for 15 mobile data terminals inside the fire trucks. The in-truck computers will allow fire crews to access and print information from their fire trucks, assistant chief Larry Rider said at a Valley Fire Commissioners meeting this week.
For example, crews could use the computers to access information about a poison like anthrax or could determine whether a building has hazardous materials inside. The terminals will also allow fire dispatchers to track trucks using global positioning system software.
Of the grant money, Valley Fire will be required to pay 30 percent, which equals $65,626, the rest will come from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security .
Rider said Valley Fire will form a team to implement the program. It’s important to make sure the technology is set up in such a way that it will be useful to the crews, Rider said.
It’s the fourth year Valley Fire has received a federal grant to purchase specialized equipment.
• Valley Fire has set a tentative move-in date of Wednesday for its new fire station and two medic houses. That date could be pushed back a week if the fire dispatchers need more time to make changes to their system, said Valley Fire Chief Mark Grover.
The two houses were remodeled for use by paramedics. One is located in Greenacres at 17217 E. Sprague Ave. and the other is at 11514 E. 16th Ave. While the paramedic stations will be staffed by current employees, the new fire station—located at East Montgomery Drive and North Wilbur Road near the Union Pacific railroad tracks—required additional firefighters. Valley fire hired 19 firefighters earlier this year. They finished their training and began work this week.
The new firefighters are: Joe Baggot, Bryan Bucher, Bill Clifford, James (Chris) Cornelius, Kevin Dunne, Brent Duprel, Jeffery Fraser, Bill Henrichs, Paul Kimball, Scott Klettke, Gregory Krous, Shawn Levering, John Nelson, Andrew Newton, RW Pegau, Tony Perry, Josh Pitts, Travis Stack and Scott Tschirgi.
• Valley Fire decided to sell two fire trucks, one of which it acquired during the recent takeover of the Millwood Fire Department. Millwood’s 1993 Freightliner ladder truck was sold for $40,000 to a fire equipment company to be used as a loaner truck when other departments bring their trucks in for repairs.
Valley Fire also decided to sell its 1985 Seagrave ladder truck. It was bought by a volunteer fire department in North Idaho for $20,000.
• Valley Fire commissioners were given a copy of an ordinance recently passed by Millwood to begin the annexation process of the town into Valley Fire jurisdiction. Once the process begins, Valley Fire will know the earliest the issue could be put on the ballot, Chief Grover told commissioners. That could happen as soon as March.
• Valley Fire commissioners have also approved hiring a Western Washington executive search firm to help find a new chief. Chief Grover is scheduled to retire early next year.
The Oldani Group of Bellevue, Wash., will begin visiting the fire department next week to start forming a profile of what qualities the new chief should have, Grover told commissioners. The Oldani Group will get paid $18,500, plus a maximum of $7,500 for out-of-pocket costs, Grover said.