MINUTES
BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY
July 26, 2016
A SPECIAL TELEPHONIC MEETING of the Board of Public Safety was held in the Mayor’s Office on Tuesday, July 26, 2016.
Those in attendance included Mayor Elinor Carbone, Commissioners Robert Conforti, Douglas Benedetto and Glenn McLeod along with Fire Chief Gary Brunoli and Deputy Fire Chief Christopher Pepler. Commissioner Darlene Battle participated by telephone. Commissioners Richard Zaharek and Angelo LaMonica were absent.
Mayor Carbone called the meeting to order at 3:10 p.m.
FIREHOUSE PAINTING & REPAIRS
On a motion by Commissioner McLeod, seconded by Commissioner Conforti, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Purchasing Agent’s and Fire Chief’s recommendation to award the Painting & Repairs To Exterior Overhangs at Fire Headquarters Bid, to Ferraro's Painting & Restoration of North Haven in the amount of $6525.00, having been previously approved by City Council on July 5, 2016.
SELF CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS
On a motion by Commissioner Conforti, seconded by Commissioner McLeod, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Purchasing Agent’s and Fire Chief’s recommendation to award the Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Bid to MSA, pending City Council and Board of Finance approval.
Deputy Chief Pepler explained that the middle bid, MSA, has a very modern platform that they can build on for years to come and is $56,000 lower than the high bidder, Scott. He said he was uncomfortable with the low bidder because out of 304 fire departments in the State of Connecticut, only two utilize the heavy, bulky Dreger equipment. Deputy Chief Pepler pointed out the features that MSA has, such as a lithium-ion battery, a 15-year warranty, blue-tooth technology for communication and a $6000 trade-in for current inventory. He said efforts were made to obtain grant funding for the equipment but they were not successful. Now the equipment is expiring, he said.
Chief Brunoli noted that MSA equipment has more safety features and Deputy Chief Pepler said each air pack will have the ability for a thermal imaging camera and enhanced communication.
Commissioner Benedetto noted that a lot was cut out of their budget this year and Chief Brunoli said this is covered in the Capital Plan. He said he plans to lease it for seven years, make the down payment with the current balance of $119,000 and continue payments to build the funds up until the equipment can be purchased or the same process repeated.
Commissioner McLeod said the firefighters cannot be denied the best equipment choice. Commissioner Conforti said he was impressed with the MSA equipment. Commissioner Benedetto said it is a difficult decision for him to approve the additional $47,000 expense after the budget cuts they made, but he wants to support the firefighters in the best choice. Mayor Carbone noted the savings found in the lithium-ion batteries and the upgrade potential of thermal imaging cameras. She said this justifies the additional expense. Commissioner Battle said the oxygen-monitoring feature is important, and is why she supports the vote in favor of MSA equipment.
ADJOURNMENT
On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Conforti, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn at 3:40 p.m.
ATTEST: JOSEPH L. QUARTIERO, CMC
CITY CLERK
Carol L. Anderson, CMC, MCTC
Assistant City Clerk
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