Minutes of the Geary County Rural Fire Board Trustees Meeting

For June 3, 2009

 

The meeting was called to order at 7:40 p.m. by Chairman Ben Bennett.

 

Roll call was taken.  Districts present: Jackson, Blakely, Lyon, Milford, and Smoky Hill.  Districts absent: Jefferson and Wingfield.  Also present were Trustee Board Chair Ben Bennett, County Commissioner Larry Hicks, Assistant Fire Chief Brian Clark and County Extension Agent Chuck Otte.

 

Oliver Schmutz moved to approve the minutes as presented.  The motion was seconded and passed 6 – 0.

 

Assistant Fire Chief Clark reported that for 2009 there have been 78 fire runs, including standbys at the race track.  This compares to 53 in the same period in 2008. 

 

The 2010 Budget was submitted to the County Commission.  Training has been reduced to once per month through the summer.

 

The county has received a grant from the Kansas Forest Service for $5,000.  This is a 50:50 matching grant, the county will put up $2,500.  The request was for tools, backpack sprayers, and radios.

 

Garry and Brian have started working on grant requests for the new fire station on K-57.  There is help from the legislative offices on grant writing to obtain stimulus money for fire stations.

 

A grant has been submitted through the 2009 Federal Fire Grant program requesting a thermal imaging camera and a washer/dryer for bunker gear.  This would be a 95:5 grant.

 

Outdoor light at Station #5 has been replaced.  The clutch has been replaced in #114.

 

Unit #120 is now in service.  It was an old Junction City ambulance that was purchased for $3,000.  It is being loaded with emergency equipment (generators, lights, etc.) and can also haul 4 to 5 people.

 

County Extension Agent Otte had no report.

 

Unfinished Business: Brian has been designing a basic fire station (5 bays with 4 doors), that will be used in the request for proposals for the new fire station.  Substantial funds are available from stimulus money for fire stations and fire station improvements.  Washington congressional delegations should be able to provide support.

 

Several older fire stations are aging and getting in poor shape.  Some of the stimulus money could be available to repair or replace some of these.  The trustees were asked to check their stations carefully for signs of deterioration.  There ensued a discussion of aging issues in these buildings, proposed preventative measures and which ones actually work.

 

New Business:  No new business

 

Bill Gustafson moved to adjourn the meeting.  The motion was seconded and passed 6 – 0.  The meeting was adjourned at 8:07 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Chuck Otte

Recording Secretary