District to reconsider fire engine purchase
The Central Fire and EMS District may stop looking for a new fire engine to buy after board chairman Larry Oehmichen raised concerns last Thursday about making a six-figure purchase during an economic downturn.
“I couldn’t vote for spending $500,000 right now,” said Oehmichen after district chief Joe Mueller mentioned that a committee of firefighters is working on getting the best deal on a new engine.
Oehmichen said the firefighters may be “wasting a lot of time” if the board decides it wants put off the purchase until another year. He noted that “farmers are really hurting” financially right now, so tax dollars need to be spent conservatively.
Town of Mayville representative Dennis Engel agreed, noting that the district’s newest fire engine, a 2001 Pierce, only has 12,000 miles on the odometer.
“We have to be smarter” when making purchases, he said.
Battalion chief John Austin, however, noted that those are “hard miles” that are not really comparable to a regular passenger vehicle. Mueller also noted that it can be difficult to find replacement parts for the 2001 Pierce, which is stationed at the Abbotsford fire hall.
Under guidelines set by the National Fire Protection Association, the first-out fire engine on any call should not be more than 20 years old. For years, even before the fire district was formed in 2016, local firefighters have been talking about the need to save up for a new engine.
However, at the board’s March meeting, Oehmichen questioned the whole notion of needing to buy a new engine after he toured a company in Las Vegas that specializes in restoring old fire engines. He said the company could restore one of the district’s engines for $100,000 to $300,000 — about half the cost of a new engine.
The district currently has about $770,000 in three accounts, including just under $58,000 in savings, $212,000 in checking and $500,000 in a money market account.
At the March meeting, Mueller said the firefighters are fine working with the trucks they have, if that’s what the board decides.
“It’s up to you guys,” he said. “We’ll work with whatever you guys want to give us to work with.”
However, he also said he knows of no other fire districts or departments with a first-out engine more than 20 years old, though he noted that the district already has several rebuilt vehicles.
Board members agreed to vote at their June 18 meeting on whether or not to continue looking for a new fire engine.
Insurance issue unresolved
The board once again tabled the question of what to do about Abbotsford’s refusal to accept the district’s offer for insuring the city’s public safety building.
Abbotsford representative Jim Weix presented the board with a proposed lease agreement approved by the city council that would make the city responsible for insuring the fire hall, rather than the fire district, as stated in a previous version of the lease.
In order to change the terms of a lease agreement like that, Oehmichen said all seven municipalities within the district would have to sign off on the new terms.
“This would be a change to the contract,” he said, referring to the intergovernmental agreement used to form the district.
Weix reiterated the city’s concern with letting the district insure a building that has been partially paid for by city residents’ donations, and which still has outstanding debt payments.
“It’s in our best interest to retain the insurance on it,” Weix told the board.
The city is willing to pay the difference between what the district is paying now and what it would pay if the building were covered under the district’s policy, he said. Based on a quote from MacGillis Insurance, that extra amount would be about $1,600 this year.
“We will take care of the excess,” Weix said.
Weix read a statement from the city’s insurance agent stating that the district does not have any “insurable interest” on a building it does not own. In an April 15 email, the agent said the status of “additional insured” refers only to liability insurance, not property insurance.
“There’s no property coverage afforded the city under Central Fire’s liability policy, so as far as I can tell, there is no coverage under the coverage form in which to pay a loss payment to the city for damage to a building Central Fire does not own,” agent Greg Goetz wrote.
Oehmichen said he would not sign off on any changes to the lease agreement, but he was amenable to the idea of the city making up the cost difference.
“I’ve got no problem with that if you want to do that,” he said. “I’m all in favor of getting the cheapest rates for the fire district.”
Weix said the city will continue looking for cheaper insurance, but he wants to avoid any possible legal entanglements between the city and the district.
“I’d rather have us as gentlemen figure it out than turn it over to the attorneys because I really don’t want to go there,” he said. “Why waste money?”
Weix said he would bring the lease agreement back to the council for further action, and Oehmichen said the issue would be on the board’s June agenda.
Other business
_ The board approved a total of $22,738 in monthly bills. Oehmichen noted that the district has spent 26.2 percent of its 2020 budget so far, which is right on track with previous years.
_ The board approved a motion to contribute $500 to a retirement gift for every district member who retires after a minimum of 20 years of service. Mueller said he is still working on writing up a policy to make it clear who qualifies for the gift.
_ The district responded to 45 ambulance calls and two fire calls between April 16 and May 21. Mueller said firefi ghters went to a garage fire on April 24, and were able to save three of the four walls. They also fought a house fire on May 9, which started in a shop and spread to the house with the help of strong winds. He said they were able to save several of the family’s possessions.
_ Mueller asked the board if the district should start filling swimming pools as a paid service for those who request it. Board members said no to the idea, as they did not want to compete against private individuals who fill pools.
_ The board approved $2,430 for six new pagers, with the possibility of a DNR grant covering half the cost.
_ Mueller said the district’s firefighters and EMTs received praise from law enforcement and paramedics for their help in securing the scene of a recent rollover accident on STH 29.
_ The board authorized up to $1,600 for repairing the phone system at the Abbotsford fire hall, which has had a host of technical problems.
