Published: May 06, 2008 10:18 am            

New Albany City Council answers fire department’s plea for new communication system

New Albany Fire Department Capt. Matt Bowyer was faced with the kind of moment on Monday that petrifies firefighters.

Helping his fellow workers battle a blaze that would eventually destroy most of Steinert’s Grill and Pub, Bowyer’s radio went dead, literally in the heat of the moment.

“(The radio) got wet and it was non functional after 15 minutes,” Bowyer said.

Luckily, Bowyer was not trapped inside the building or dazed from inhaling smoke. Other firefighters have not been as lucky.

As part of a plea by Bowyer and the NAFD to get a new communication system, the captain and Chief Matt Juliot told City Council members during a work session precluding the regular council meeting Monday of examples of firefighters from other communities dying or being seriously hurt on the job because of dysfunctional radios.

Don’t let this happen to firefighters in New Albany was their message.

“(The radio system) is not designed for the environment we operate in,” Bowyer said.

The council approved $300,000 from riverboat funds for half of the cost of new radio equipment that Bowyer said would help firefighters respond quicker and in a safer manner to emergency calls.

The remaining portion could come from a federal grant the department has applied for, or from financing it over multiple

years, according to Councilwoman Diane McCartin-Benedetti.

The radio system used by the NAFD was designed in the 1970s and only allows users privy to one channel, Bowyer said.

Water, extreme heat and other variables can cause the radios to malfunction, leaving firefighters in a dangerous predicament.

“We’re hard on radios due to the nature of our job,” Bowyer said.

The captain has been researching a new communication system for six months and said he is confident the new equipment will help keep firefighters safe.

While Bowyer called the current radios outdated, Juliot gave the council a more detailed analysis.

“It’s something the Wal-Mart manager would call stock up with from the back,” he said.

The new apparatus will fit around a firefighter’s shoulders to accommodate the need for expedient communication. Juliot said the new radios should last longer and be more effective.

An emergency button on the side of the radio will allow a firefighter to quickly send out a panic alarm in case he or she is faced with a criminal situation. Bowyer said from time to time, firefighters have weapons pulled on them when they arrive at a scene.

He said it is too cumbersome to pull out the current radio and call for help, but would be easier for them to push a button to send out a distress signal.

Deputy Mayor and Director of Development Carl Malysz said the administration is behind the communication upgrades. The old system — which has “blackout” spots around the city where radios will not work — puts too many people at risk, he said.

“It’s not only a threat to them, but it’s also a threat to citizens they’re trying to rescue,” Malysz said.

The resolution to approve the purchase was originally part of a three-tiered request that included capital improvements for the Street and Police departments, but was amended by Councilman Bob Caesar into three separate measures.

Along with the radio upgrades, the council also approved the purchase or lease of two street sweepers for the street department and $250,000 for 10 new police cars, though the last measure drew an objection from Councilman Steve Price.

Price stuck to his guns after stating in an interview last week with The Tribune that he took issue to police officers driving their cars home.

He voted against the purchase of the 10 cars, saying he could not do so in good faith when officers were driving their units several miles after getting off shift, adding wear and tear to their vehicles.

Price was the only member of the council to vote against the purchase of the new cars.

“My point is that mileage is an issue,” Price said.

He said an officer driving to and from Corydon each day would add 8,500 miles to their car in a year. With the department’s insurance company taking issue to covering cars that have more than 100,000 miles on them, Price said something has to be done.

Councilman Dan Coffey and Caesar asked the administration to look into the issue in coming months, though both voted in favor of the purchases.

“We can’t afford to wait until next year for another policy,” Coffey said.

Malysz said the administration would work with the police department to come up with a solution after saying the cars needed to be replaced regardless of how the miles were accumulated.

He said he understood Price’s concern and plans are in the works for a policy to address both gasoline concerns and mileage issues on take home cars.



ALSO AT THE MEETING

• Insulated Roofing Contractors Inc., likely will be moving to New Albany soon from Louisville after receiving a tax abatement from the council.

The business — which has been open since 1974 — has 125 employees whose salaries equate to nearly $9 million a year, according to IRC President Melvin Stumler.

Stumler said approximately 50 percent of those jobs are filled by people from Floyd County, and as part of the abatement, more jobs will be added in coming years.

• Upon the request of Councilman John Gonder, a request to the New Albany/Floyd County Building Authority to provide safe drinking water on the third floor of the City/County Building was approved. There is only one water fountain on the floor, and officials have said the water has been deemed as unsafe to drink.

• The council approved on first reading an ordinance regarding public and private agreements, pertaining to city boards and commissions. The ordinance — authored by Councilman Pat McLaughlin — calls for agreements between private contractors and public boards of the city to be made known to residents. The ordinance also requires all services and supplies approved by city boards to be the product of competitive bidding.

• Two zone-change ordinances that have received a lot of attention were tabled Monday.

An ordinance that would allow a pawn shop in the industrial zone of Mount Tabor Road — which failed by a 5-4 vote upon the first two votes — and an ordinance to permit developer Gary McCartin to build an office and retail development along Charlestown Road were tabled.

• The council will next meet at 7:30 p.m. May 15 in the third floor Assembly Room of the City/County Building.

        

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