Fire departments purchase equipment upgrades
Fire departments in the county have bought the new federally mandated radios, a project that came with a nearly $14 million price tag.
“We had to have a plan,” Scott Goehring, fire chief for the Harmony Fire District said. “Most of us just don't have it lying around.”
Emergency services, including fire police and EMS departments, received a financial break in June when county commissioners voted to cover 75 percent of the costs for end-user equipment. That left the services to pay for 25 percent of the bill.
How much the departments had to contribute to the purchase of the needed equipment varied on their size. The bills ranged from around $49,000 for the largest department to about $14,000 for the smallest.
All managed to meet their financial obligations.
“A lot of these fire departments are struggling,” said Steve Bicehouse, director of emergency services for Butler County, noting troublesome trends in recruiting volunteer firefighters. “Certainly, the county didn't want to be responsible for fire departments closing their doors.”
This is an excerpt — read the full article in Sunday's Butler Eagle or subscribe to butlereagle.com.
