Fire Break
Welcoming the new Tender 42 to Girdwood
|
By Natalie Osborne
Special to the Turangain Times
After 10 years of hard work, Chief Chadwick has successfully acquired a much-needed new Tender apparatus for the Girdwood Valley. Water Tenders are special fire trucks that move large quantities of water to areas without fire hydrants. The new Tender 42 apparatus will replace an older tender, which was purchased in 1978 through a lease-purchase agreement between the Municipality of Anchorage and the Western States/Seagrave Corporation.
The need for tender 42 was first identified in the Girdwood Fire Department 1998 strategic vehicle plan that Chadwick submitted to the Girdwood Board of Supervisors. However, at that time priority was given to Engine, Rescue and Ambulance replacement. Once our Rescue pumper was delivered in 2000, Chadwick again sought funding for a new Tender. Chadwick stated, “I was unsuccessful in trying for municipal funding. The city never saw it as a priority on the city’s capital budget. I was similarly unsuccessful in getting a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters apparatus grant that I applied for in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007.”
The State of Alaska was similarly uninterested in funding the project until Rep. Mike Hawker picked up the ball during the 2008 legislative session. The Girdwood Fire Department then obtained a state grant in the amount of $440,000 to purchase the apparatus with the understanding that they would use the vehicle replacement account to make up the difference. The final cost of the vehicle was $572,883, requiring $132,883 from the vehicle replacement account. However, the vehicle replacement account contribution of $72,460 was not made last year due to the service areas lack of funds to do so.
“The State of Alaska couldn’t have been more helpful,” Chadwick stated.
The staff at the grants office provided assistance at all levels to accomplish the project. The biggest hurdle was dealing with the MOA.
In August of 2008, the Girdwood Fire Department solicited bids and awarded the contract to Pierce Manufacturing to construct Tender 42. The Girdwood Board of Supervisors voted at their 2008 November meeting to transfer funds from the Vehicle Replacement Fund to the Girdwood Fire Department operating account to allow us to make up the difference. Excess funds would be paid back to the vehicle replacement account fund. However, despite the fact that the funds were budgeted, approved, and allocated to the Girdwood Fire Service area’s vehicle replacement account by the budgetary authority of the Girdwood Board of Supervisors and the approval of the Anchorage Assembly, the Municipality decided in January of 2009 that the transfer to GVF&R would have to go back before the Assembly again for approval. It seemed Chadwick had hit another roadblock.
Despite having been assured by the municipal staff many times between January and July of 2009 that there was plenty of time to get the Assembly’s approval (for a second time), the documents were drafted and final approval was rushed through the Assembly and final payment was made just three days prior to the final inspection and delivery of Tender 42.
Tender 42 arrived to Girdwood on Thursday, Aug. 6 and have already responded to several 911 calls in the Girdwood Valley. Chadwick explains that “with this apparatus we are able to provide better response times, significantly more water, increased hose and pumping capacity and equipment so that small fires can be intercepted earlier and the possibility of spread can be significantly reduced.” In addition, Chadwick will be applying to the Insurance Services Organization (ISO) for a reduction in the protection rating for the areas of Girdwood that lack hydrants. If he is successful, property owners could see a 12 to 25 percent reduction in fire insurance premiums.
The Girdwood Fire Department will have an Open House and Dedication Ceremony for the new Tender 42 apparatus on Sunday, Aug. 23 from 2-4 p.m. at the Girdwood Fire Station. The ceremony will be followed by a picnic at Lions Club Park (across from the Station). Representative Mike Hawker, Chief Chadwick and other Fire Department personnel and volunteers will be on hand to answer any questions. So, bring the family and come see your new Tender 42!
The Girdwood Fire Department would like to give a special thanks to the following people who helped make this happen: Mike Hawker, Debbie Kruse in the state Grants Office, Marilyn Banzhaf at the MOA Budget office, Fire Chief Goodrich, Andy Klein at Hughes Fire Apparatus, Fred McPherson at Pierce and the Girdwood Board of Supervisors.
