Department receives significant donation, continues improvements

SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Fire Board discussed continued improvements for the department at their regular board meeting Nov. 20. Fire Chief Dave Lane also told the board about a large donation of surplus equipment that they received from the Bozeman Fire Department.

Lane reported that the Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) upgrade for the department is 98 percent complete. The project to date has cost around $7,500 and is estimated that it will be completed with an additional $2,300. The original project was budgeted for $30,000, “That is quite a savings.”

The department received the state EMS grant for a mobile data terminal. The new, tough book was purchased and has been installed in the ambulance. This allows medical personnel to complete the charting enroute back to the station.

Lane said that since the discussion on billing practices at the September meeting, he has spoken with and strengthened the relationships with several local businesses. He corrected various practices and put things in writing that weren’t documented in the past.

Lane said as of the Oct. 31 structure fire in Seeley Lake, the department started taking advantage of a billing practice allowed by the Fire Recovery Act, a federal program for insurance companies to reimburse fire departments for their responses. This is rolled into the homeowner’s insurance and allows the department to bill the insurance company, not the resident.

Following the recent structure fire Oct. 31, it was suggested that a more formalized rehab center for firefighters was needed. Lane is applying for a $6,000 grant through the Firefighter Support Foundation to purchase a Pulse Oximetry Unit that not only reads oxygen levels but carbon monoxide levels as well.

“That will help guide rehab, which direction to go as far as taking care of this person or having them sit out,” said Lane.

Lane said that they have purchased some simple tools to help in firefighting response that will make their job a lot easier on future structure fires.

Lane informed the board about a significant donation of equipment from the Bozeman Fire Department. The Bozeman Fire Department has been going through a lot of changes and was going to discard a lot of their equipment until the department in Seeley Lake said they would take it.

Lane said it saved the department around $4,000 in equipment including 30 rolls of hose that were certified last spring. They also received nozzles and adapters as part of the donation.

“It was a great donation from them,” said Lane. “We thanked them and will continue to thank them.”

The next regularly scheduled meeting is Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. at the Seeley Lake Fire Hall. Visit http://www.seeleyfire.org for more information.