By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
Yukon firefighters will soon breathe a sigh of relief – thanks to a purchase made by city leaders using a federal grant.
The City of Yukon will pay $264,223 to Casco Industries, Inc. of Oklahoma City for new firefighter breathing equipment.
Yukon Fire Chief Shawn Vogt recommended the purchase, most of which will covered by a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters grant.
The Yukon Fire Department will acquire 36 new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) units after approval during the Nov. 17th city council meeting.
“This includes 72 cylinders and 41 facemasks for our firefighters to wear,” Chief Vogt said.
Every unit will have a thermal imaging camera (to detect heat) and voice amplifiers, he added.
The fire department’s SCBA selection committee, chaired by Capt. Josh Reason, recommended the MSA G2 model SCBA units after demonstrations from three vendors.
Capt. Reason described them as “the highest quality and most safe model currently available” and the “best fit” for the department.
The YFD was notified July 31 about the $232,000 grant award. The City of Yukon is responsible for a 10% ($23,200) cost share.
The grant totaled $255,000. The cost increased $9,223 after the SCBA selection committee recommended purchasing 45-minute rated bottles instead of 30-minute rated bottles.
“This will allow more working time for our firefighters while wearing the new SCBA’s,” Vogt explained.
In other business at their Nov. 17th meeting, city council members approved:
- A final plat for the Yukon Angle development on the northwest corner of Garth Brooks Boulevard and Vandament. This will allow construction of a convenience store/gas station on the south side and restaurant on the north side. Yukon Community Development Director Mitchell Hort said, “they should be ready to go after the first of the year.”
- Paying $294,093 for a new sanitation side loader. The total price tag covers $144,197 to Brucker Truck Sales for a 2022 Mack MP7 truck and $149,896 to J&R Equipment for a 2021 Labrie chassis. The City of Yukon’s sanitation trucks – at six years old – are “plumb wore out” and have maintenance and safety issues, Hort said. The newest trash truck will take “time to build” and is due to arrive in October 2021, he added.
- A settlement agreement with Larry Joe Hollman, trustee of the Bessie Hollman 1993 Living Trust, for property needed for the State Highway 4 construction project.
- Accepting a temporary easement on Oak Drive from Douglas and Barbara Bakke to construct a 10-foot-wide, multi-use trail along the east side of Garth Brooks Boulevard between Main Street and Vandament.
