Culver-Union Township Fire Chief Terry Wakefield presented several purchase requests to the town council members last week.
He requested the purchase of two new thermal imaging cameras for just over $4,700.
“If somebody says they smell something hot or heat in the house, we can go in and shine them at a wall and it’ll tell you the hot spots in the wall,” explained Wakefield. “They use them in a lot of home construction too. They come in and find cold spots and hot spots in the house. For us, that’s great!”
He also asked for $1,543 for the purchase of nozzles.
In addition, Wakefield is working to get a grant for $165,000 which will be used for equipment, including radios. If the department is successful in getting the grant, then $16,500 would be needed for the match money. If the department is not successful, then he would like to have at least $7,515.40 of the match money to go toward the purchase of radios. He asked to take the $7,515.40 from this year’s budget and use it next year for this purpose.
Clerk-Treasurer Karen Heim clarified that the money would be in the General Fund and Wakefield would need to file an additional appropriation request in 2020 in order to spend that money for radios.
Wakefield added that the firefighters need new radios as they are falling apart and becoming obsolete.
The Culver Town Council members unanimously approved the requests as presented.
