•Rescue Tool Purchase - Greg Pace

Statement made to City Council at the Jan. 10, 2010 Regular Council Meeting regarding the proposed purchase of an additional set of rescue tools

COUNCIL IS BEING ASKED TONIGHT TO APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF A SET OF HYDRAULIC RESCUE TOOLS.

AT PRESENT ALL THREE (3) OF OUR FIRE ENGINES ARE EQUIPPED WITH FUNCTIONING RESCUE TOOLS. THIS REQUESTED PURCHASE ADDS NO NEW

CAPABILITY.

THE STATED REASON FOR THE PURCHASE IS TO REDUCE TRAINING REQUIREMENTS AND TO ALLOW INTERCHANGEABILITY BETWEEN ENGINES.

THESE ARE RELATIVELY SIMPLE HYDRAULIC TOOLS WHETHER USING A CUTTER, A SPREADER, OR A RAM. AND PRECISION IS NOT A REQUIREMENT IN APPLYING

THESE TOOLS. DELICATE THEY ARE NOT. BESIDES. KNOWING HOW AND WHEN TO APPLY A RESCUE TOOL IS MANUFACTURE INDEPENDENT.

OUR PARAMEDIC/FIREFIGHTERS HAVE AMPLE DOWN TIME DURING A SHIFT TO BE TRAINED ON DIFFERENT RESCUE TOOLS AT NO COST TO THE CITY. AND WITH A

NORMAL STAFFING OF FOUR ON AN ENGINE, NOT ALL NEED BE FLUENT IN THE PARTICULAR TOOL AT HAND.

AS FAR AS INTERCHANGEABILITY, IF A TOOL FAILS IN THE FIELD, A SECOND ENGINE WOULD BE DISPATCHED TO THE EMERGENCY SITE ANYWAY.

SO WHAT IS THE PAYBACK TO THE TAXPAYER FOR THIS PURCHASE? I SEE NONE. I WOULD NEVER MAKE SUCH A PURCHASE IN MY BUSINESS.

LET ME REMIND THIS COUNCIL THAT ON MAY 3RD OF 2010 THE BUDGET WAS AMENDED TO PURCHASE A NEW FIRE PUMPER. TO DATE NO BIDS HAVE BEEN

PRESENTED TO COUNCIL FOR THAT NEW PUMPER. PLEASE RECALL HOW DIRE AND URGENT THE STATED NEED WAS FOR A NEW PUMPER. YET HERE WE ARE EIGHT

MONTHS LATER AND YOU HAVE BEEN PRESENTED WITH NO BIDS. BY THE WAY, THE FLEET STUDY ON PAGE 67 RECOMMENDS REPLACING FIRE PUMPERS AT 125,000

MILES. OUR '96 SAULSBURY HAD 49K MILES ON IT LAST YEAR.

Greg Pace, Westmoreland

January 10, 2011

• UCityCitizen.org • Paulette Carr, Ward 2 Councilmember, City of University City • University City, Missouri 63130 •