Politics & Government
Villages Consider 2014 South Shore Equipment Purchases
The South Shore Fire Department's list of 2014 equipment purchases was approved by the Sturtevant Village Board Tuesday.
Now that Sturtevant has unanimously approved equipment purchases in 2014 for the South Shore Fire Department, what eventually gets approved is on Mount Pleasant.
Fire Chief Robert Stedman presented a five-year purchasing plan to the Fire/EMS Oversight Committee at its Sept. 17 meeting. He prioritized the items for 2014 in this order:
- Two remounted ambulances ($218,000)
- Radios ($25,000)
- Computers ($8,000)
- Incident command car ($40,000)
- Rebuilt power cots ($28,000)
- Rebuilt defibrillators ($10,000)
- Thermal imaging camera ($10,000)
- Power cot system ($16,000)
Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant share the operating costs - including capital purchases - of SSFD. If approved by both villages, the total cost for 2014 comes to $360,000. Sturtevant's portion would be $66,456; $41,000 of which is allocated for the remounted ambulances.
Members of the Oversight Committee unanimously approved recommending to both village boards Stedman's list for 2014.
Sturtevant Trustee John Johnson told his board that he made the motion to approve the eight items for which his village is responsible because Stedman's plan addresses needs in a realistic manner.
"This is a realistic capital budget," he said at last week's continual committee meeting. "But I'm also in favor of it because we haven't had any equipment purchases since the consolidation."
Trustee Chris Larsen agreed.
"I always said I would alway support life-saving equipment purchases," he said. "This is the best list I've seen since I've been on the board."
Stedman will sit down with Mount Pleasant trustees Thursday during that village's second day of budget meetings.
Mount Pleasant Trustee David DeGroot, also a member of the Oversight Committee, made it clear at the board's Sept. 23 meeting that he will support Stedman's plan.
"(It) pleases me that two remounted ambulances are highest priority of the fire chief for next year provided it gets through budget," he said. "What that means is by June of next year will have replaced half of our ambulance fleet."
The Mount Pleasant budget meeting begins at 9 a.m. Thursday at Village Hall, 8811 Campus Drive.
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