Fire Committee Minutes 5-17-2021

Publish date: May 18, 2021

Fire Committee 5-17-2021

RUTLAND TOWN SELECT BOARD

FIRE COMMITTEE MEETING

MONDAY MAY 7th, 2021

The Fire Committee of the Rutland Town Select Board met at 3:45 PM on Monday May 17th at the Rutland Town Municipal Town Hall. Present was Board Chair Mary Ashcroft, Board Member John Paul Faignant, Board Member Don Chioffi, Fire Chief Chris Clark, Assistant Chief Mike Carlson, Assistant Chief Larry Dellveneri, Administrative Assistant Bill Sweet. There was a conference call line with a publicly accessible and warned phone number in use.

  • The committee discussed the replacement plans for the McKinley Avenue Fire Station.
    1. The intention will be to have a facility that houses the Fire and Police Department.
    2. There are no plans or designs of a facility at this point.
    3. Discussed looking at the concept that Castletown has. It is simple and functional.
    4. It is not known if we will need an Act 250 permit for the project.
    5. There is probably enough room for the new building at the current site. There is not enough water available for a sprinkler system. The current well was drilled down to 845 feet and is not capable of providing enough volume or pressure for a sprinkler.
    6. Other possible locations were discussed but would come with acquisition costs.
    7. There may be someone who is interested in purchasing the existing building and property on McKinley Avenue if an alternate site was secured.
    8. The committee was in favor of hiring an architect to design a facility and use that as a guide to see how much land would be needed.
    9. The design work would need to go out to bid. The funding would likely come from the capital improvement fund.
    10. Killington and Castleton both have facilities that house Police and Fire. We will reach out to them do discuss their process and their vendors.
    11. Meetings with the Fire and Police committees should resume to discuss this project.
  • The committee discussed the permitting and use of fireworks.
    1. A Vermont Supreme Court ruling has determined municipalities do not have authority to issues permits to light off fireworks for private displays. They can only be issued for public displays.
    2. Permits for individual displays are still required, but the agency responsible for issuing them is not clear. Some work will be done to look into who would do this.
  • The committee discussed the impact the proposed housing project would have on the fire department.
    1. A local engineering firm, Enman Kesselring, has been hired by the developer to work o the project.
    2. The developer has not contacted the town to discuss any specific impact concerns as of yet. This would be addressed as part of their Act 250 filing when it is submitted.
    3. There are potential impacts to the school, and fire department mainly.
    4. Mutual aid responses to the property were discussed but no plans were made.
  • The committee reviewed town ordinances related to the fire department.
    1. Open Burning Ordinance
      1. Asst Chief and Transfer Station Manager Larry Dellveneri said he doesn’t feel there is a large problem in town and cited statistics of yard waste brought to our facility at Northwood Park. Last year 516 loads of brush totaling approximately 64.5 tons plus an additional 68.1 tons of chunk wood was brought to the transfer station.
      2. The highway department handles burning the piles when they are ready.
  • Some minor changes were discussed and will be included at a future meeting for review.
  1. Abatement of Fire Hazards
    1. Some minor changes were discussed and will be included at a future meeting for review.
  2. Fire Alarms
    1. There are several issues with the language. This will need a more detailed review and discussion, to be had at a future meeting.
  3. Private Fire Hydrants
    1. There are several systems and stand-alone hydrants which could be considered private.
    2. The City of Rutland inspects and maintains our municipal hydrants.
  • We need a list of the hydrants the City maintains. Bill will reach out to the city for this.
  1. Discussed some of the definitions and how they apply to the ordinance. This will require come additional discussion and work.
  2. Some additional changes were proposed and will be included for a future discussion.
  • The committee discussed the 5-year plan
    1. The truck replacement schedule was reviewed.
    2. It is approximately 9 years before the next truck will be due, according to the schedule.
    3. Recruitment is very important. The roster has dropped recently with members leaving due to relocating out of town / state. Efforts will be made via a variety of digital and physical methods.
  • The committee discussed the plans for the current Engine.
    1. The truck will be out of service July 1, 2021 due to frame issues preventing it from passing inspection.
    2. Various parts will be reused wherever possible, other parts will be sold to area departments. Some have already expressed interest in various items. The truck will not be sold for the purpose of being a fire truck.
  • There is an order of new boots being put in soon. These new boots will add an increased level of comfort when worn for an extended time.
  • The committee will plan to meet again in approximately 60 days.

 

The meeting adjourned at 5:35 PM

Respectfully submitted, Bill Sweet

Rutland Town News

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