The Mendenhall Fire Department has received several upgrades recently. New radios and the planned purchase of a new fire truck align with the cities goal of improving the fire rating.
At the September meeting the Mendenhall Board of Aldermen discussed upgrades for the Mendenhall Fire Department in the form of new radios.
Mayor Todd Booth said that there were miscommunications when responding to calls between the fire department and Mendenhall Police Department. It has been determined that the miscommunication is due to a breakdown in radio communications.
The police department operates on the Mississippi Wireless Information Network (MSWIN) radio system, opposed to the fire department’s older communication system. Many of the state’s first responder organizations are now using WISWIN. The Board ultimately agreed that the upgrades were necessary and accepted a quote of $60,619 with Shanks Communications for the purchase of new radios.
At the October regularly scheduled meeting Fire Chief Brandon Wester appeared before the board with a request from the Mendenhall Fire Department. He explained that the department is in the process of purchasing a new fire truck and requested that the city declare the department’s current rescue unit surplus property so it can be sold.
Wester explained that the rescue unit currently adds nothing to the fire rating and that the new fire truck will. He said the rescue unit is not needed because the new fire truck will run in place of rescue units as multipurpose vehicles. The Board complied with Wester’s request and authorized him to contact a company that brokers fire trucks.
A special meeting was called on October 4 to accept the bid for the new fire truck. Chief Wester discussed the process of buying the new fire truck and what it meant for the city. The board accepted the bid for the new fire truck at the total cost of $496,985.
The City will receive money from the County and Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program which will offset some of the cost. According to the meeting minutes the city will need to apply for a CAP loan in the amount of $277,000 for the remaining balance on the fire truck.
Wester also informed the board of a grant that the city was eligible to apply for. The Fire Fighter Assistance Grant, if awarded, would allow the fire department to replace turnouts and upgrade air packs. Wester received approval from the board to apply for the grant.
The new fire truck will be unlike any truck the department has seen before. Mayor Todd Booth estimated that the truck would take approximately 11 months to build. Wester explained that the new apparatus will be a Rosenbauer custom truck. He explained that the Magee Fire Department is also getting a new truck and that the two will be “sister trucks”. The two departments worked closely together on the design of the new fire trucks with the goal being to maximize interoperability.
Wester said the new trucks will combine the functions of the previous rescue unit, and also serve as a tanker. There will also be a foam system in place which allows the firefighters to switch between water and foam with the pull of a lever. The truck also comes equipped with a 1500 gpm pump which will be the best the Mendenhall Fire Department has had. Mendenhall Firefighters have already been trained on how to handle the new equipment, so upon completion the truck can easily be integrated into the fleet.
Wester was confident that the new truck will help improve the fire rating, and increase interoperability. However the new addition will not be made for a while. Wester explained the next step in the process will be a preconstruction conference, and from there the new truck would take approximately 360 days to be completed.
