By Jonathan Copsey / STAFF

City Grants Administrator Amanda Day came before Council last week seeking approval to apply for the Assistance to Firefighters grant. This grant, which the city applies for regularly and which currently has no stimulus money tied to it, is geared to helping fire departments and emergency services groups by providing money for tools and resources that the departments may need.

Alpharetta will request several items, including eight carbon monoxide detectors that read a persons bloodstream for CO2, physical training equipment for a new fitness program and stress testing program, and a new fire alarm system to be outfitted in the fire stations.

The leading cause of death for fire fighters is cardiac arrest, due to the extreme and sudden activity needed of them at any given moment, said Deputy Public Safety Director Keith Sanders. That fact alone sold the Council on agreeing to that item. The problem arose with the alarm system.

Alarm Bells

The total amount requested was $474,000, and the City needs to match 20 percent, or just under $100,000. The vast majority of the funds would go toward the alarm systems, valued at roughly $300,000.

The major sticking point for Council was the cost of the alarm systems, which Day had pegged at $50,000 a station. According to Sanders, who is in charge of the fire department, $50,000 is the most that each station could cost; some stations would cost as little as $10,000. The reason for the confusion was that the company that was valuing the systems was unable to inspect all of the stations before the grant application’s deadline.

According to Sanders, the alarm system would be a dramatic improvement over the current system. Instead of one large, loud, jarring bell for the station, the bell would be softened and could be targeted for fire fighters who need to be alerted, instead of the entire station. It would also improve response time by automating the electrics of the station and the station door.

When a call comes in, the fire fighters have to stop whatever they are doing, which may be watching TV or cooking, and leave the building. They have to open the firehouse door, drive out, close the door and go fight the fire. This system would automatically open and close the doors and automatically turn off the electricity.

“There have been fires stations that have burned because the stove was left on,” said Sanders.

“At the end of the day, it’s about getting out of the station quicker,” he added.

In the end, despite some grumbling about the alarm cost, the grant application passed 5-1, with only Councilman D.C. Aiken voting against it.

“I am not feeling comfortable approving a grant for $400,000 when $300,000 is for an alarm system.” In some cases, the $50,000 alarm cost would be more than the actual fire station is worth. He had wanted to cut the cost for the alarms in half. Sanders agreed that he would be more comfortable with at least $200,000.

“We’re asking the professionals for their best guess on what this will cost, and if we implement it at five of the six stations it does no good,” said Councilwoman Cheryl Oakes, who was against lowering the cost.

“Is it necessary? It’s not absolutely necessary, but there is technology out there to help us be more efficient and more accountable for our time,” said Sanders.

Mayor Arthur Letchas added his opinion by saying, “Anything we can do to knock a few seconds off our response time, it’s good for our citizens.”

After the meeting, Aiken explained his opposition to the alarms by saying, “What we did know was that each one of those [alarm] units will not cost $50,000. The vendors, if they’re smart, will get the minutes to these meetings and say ‘these guys have $300,000 to spend’… I want us to be able to negotiate our taxpayers’ dollars in the most efficient way.”