Despite vehement opposition from two board members, Sturtevant trustees Tuesday approved paying the Village of Mount Pleasant $17,000 for 2015 South Shore Fire Department equipment purchases Sturtevant couldn’t afford at the time.

At a Sturtevant Finance Committee meeting last month, committee members voted 2-1 to deny Mount Pleasant the payment. Committee chair Trustee John Johnson disagreed with that decision and conferred with village attorneys to have the matter placed on the village board agenda for a full discussion. Trustees Chris Larsen and Chris Wright – the other members of the Finance Committee – believed Johnson went against both village ordinance and standard operating procedure of the village board.

After SC Johnson announced they were donating $324.000 to the fire department, both Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant saw their costs for 2016 equipment purchases go down considerably so Mount Pleasant asked Sturtevant to forward the $17,000 in 2016 that Sturtevant didn’t pay in 2015.

“I don’t see why this $17,000 is so important that we’re breaking our normal procedure,” Larsen said during the 20-minute discussion that got heated at times. “I am waiting to be convinced, and I just don’t see it.”

But Johnson said Sturtevant has a responsibility to pay the $17,000 now that the village can afford it because of SCJ’s gift to South Shore.

“The $50,000 in the budget was all we could afford at the time, but this gift means we can afford it in 2016,” he said.

In a nutshell, the consolidated fire agreement signed in 2009 includes a formula for financial responsibility for equipment purchases. If only one village approves one or more purchases, that village becomes fully liable for the costs of those items.

The full cost of South Shore equipment came to $1.2 million, and Sturtevant’s portion – around 18 percent – came to about $68,000. When the full Sturtevant board approved the 2015 municipal budget, there was $50,000 marked for those items. Mount Pleasant went forward with the purchases anyway and covered the difference per the contract.

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Out-of-date equipment at the Englewood Fire Department is slated for replacement after the city council approved three deals last week.

Through a state cooperative agreement, the council on Dec. 8 approved a contract for self-contained breathing apparatus face masks not to exceed $55,849 following the trade-in of the old masks; a $33,025 contract for 2016 Ford Expedition SSV; and a $3,995 contract for an Xtended Range Single Channel Transmitter/Receiver System.

The city council plans to purchase eight to 10 new face masks for firefighters each year during the next four years due to new state standards, said City Manager Tim Dacey.

Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health (PEOSH) standards for firefighters are enforced by the state Departments of Labor & Workforce Development and state Department of Health.

The new 2016 Ford Expedition would replace a 10-year-old utility vehicle used by the department that unexpectedly stopped working this year, Dacey said.

City officials will have the transmitter/receiver system — that allows firefighters to communicate with each other — installed after the completion of the Jack Drakeford Firehouse, Dacey said. Construction on the firehouse is scheduled to finish in February.

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Princeton Police are investigating factors that led to a crash Monday between a city fire truck and a passenger van at the intersection of Hwy. 380 and Fourth Street.

The accident occurred as firefighters in a rescue truck were responding to an emergency, running with lights and siren.

Police Chief James Waters reports that the firetruck was southbound on Fourth Street and its driver observed the van which was eastbound on Hwy. 380. When it appeared that the two vehicles could collide, Waters said, the firetruck driver sped up to avoid striking the van in the area where passengers were sitting. As a result, the van hit the back side of the firetruck.

The driver of the van was cited for not having a driver’s license.

Waters pointed out that while it is the responsibility of first responders to make sure they operate safely, it is everyone’s responsibility to pay attention to their surroundings. The chief offers some guidelines on what to do when you observe an emergency vehicle approaching.

Most states have official move-over laws in place. In Texas, a driver needs to change lanes or slow to 20 mph below the speed limit when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle. If the speed limit is 25 or below, drivers need to slow down to 5 mph. The state may fine offending drivers up to $200 (or more if property damage or injury results from the violation

When following any emergency vehicle with flashing lights you’re generally expected to stay about 300–500 feet behind it. Some states have a law stating minimum following distance. It’s always dangerous to tailgate an emergency vehicle.

An emergency responder’s job is not an easy one. We can help by understanding the official and unspoken rules of the road — slow down, pull over when it’s safe, and stay alert.

Understanding how to share the road with ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks adds one more safe-driving feather to your cap.

For more information, view princetonherald.com

Calhoun County has been awarded a Community Development Block Grant of $267,500 for the purchase of a new pumper truck. The local match is $26,750.

The money is to be used for the Jumper Station Fire Department near Swansea.

On Monday, Calhoun County Council approved a Planning Management Agreement so the Lower Savannah Council of Governments can administer the grant process.

The county is developing a $1 million borrowing package for an additional three trucks for the Rural Fire District. The trucks will be up for bid in the spring.

That will bring the county to a total of seven trucks.

"Eventually, we’re going to have nine trucks," council Chairman David Summers said.

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