The Chelsea Area Fire Authority (CAFA) held its annual meeting on Jan. 20 and re-elected Rod Anderson who represents Chelsea as its chairman.
Craig Maier was re-elected vice chairperson and he represents Lima Township, Linda Reilly was chosen as secretary representing Lyndon Township, and Kurt Kosek was again chosen as treasurer representing Sylvan Township. Tom Osborne retains the at-large position.
The annual meeting also established the monthly board meeting schedule of the third Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. in the council chambers in the Municipal building at 311 South Main St. The one exception is February’s meeting, which will be held on Feb. 10.
The board also chose Jan. 19, 2016 at 9 a.m. for next year’s annual meeting.
Following the annual meeting, the board held its regular monthly board meeting and it was reported that the draft firefighter union contract had been completed, and was to be considered in closed session.
Fire Chief Jim Payeur told the board that CAFA has assisted with, and applied for, two federal grants.
“The first is for three key areas that include replacement of our self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), replacement of our protective clothing (PPE) and providing Rapid Intervention Team training for all fire personnel in Washtenaw County.”
The second grant is for a mobile fire training trailer, which would be used by all fire departments in Washtenaw County.
Also according to Payeur’s report, the mobile training trailer “would benefit each department’s insurance rates. Departments that have the ability to provide this level of training score higher ISO credits.”
In other news, the exterior renovation of the Lima Township substation has been completed, but the interior renovation has yet to begin. Anderson said the board would request a firm timeline for the completion of the interior renovation from contractor Dexter Builders.
The board also unanimously approved an amount not to exceed $5,000 to explore problems with the main fire station’s floor. The northwest corner of the foundation has been slowly sinking for years, and the floor of the easterly bay has developed problems of shifting concrete, possibly due to water main breaks, one of which occurred last year.
The board is also exploring dispatch options for the fire department. The department currently uses the Chelsea Police Department, but will tour the Huron Valley Ambulance (HVA) dispatch center, located at 1200 State Circle near Briarwood Mall in Ann Arbor. The main concerns with the contract are cost and response time.
