October 26, 2002

WRTFD gets preliminary OK for tactical truck

      When a tornado hit White River Township in September, fire chief Mike Tibbetts could have used a tactical response vehicle to set up a command center in any part of the township, or county.  He could have had information on chemicals at his fingertips on computers in the portable command center.  Firefighters could have pulled equipment for any type of rescue from the vehicle.  The northernmost fire station had been damaged, and the tactical truck could have served as a command center in the area.  On Thursday, the local government tax control board gave the township’s fire protection district a preliminary OK to seek a $375,000 loan to pay for such a vehicle, said Paul Kite, chairman of the fire protection district board.  Tibbetts had wanted to purchase a tactical truck last year but the purchase was put on hold when a wreck destroyed one fire truck in June 2001. The truck will serve as a command center, allowing workers a place to talk on their radios, look up information and retrieve special rescue equipment. Currently, equipment for special rescues, such as rope or top-water rescues, is all on different pieces of firefighting apparatus, Tibbetts said.  The township’s fire protection district must still await final approval from state tax commissioner Lisa Acobert.  If she signs off on the loan, the fire department can seek a loan from a commercial lender, Kite said.  The fire protection district has an inter-local agreement with the Indianapolis Fire Department, allowing it to purchase equipment at a cheaper price. Indianapolis gets equipment cheaper because it buys more equipment more often, Kite said.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)

 

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