The Village of Plandome Manor unanimously approved their 2015 contract with the Port Washington Fire Department at a village board meeting.
Robert Ruopacek, who sits on the Port Washington Fire Department’s board of directors, delivered a presentation on the contract, which is $39,534.25, reflecting a $574.63 increase from their $38,959.62 contract in 2014.
According to Ruopacek, the village paid 1.02 percent of the department’s budget, which is the smallest of the seven entities the department covers, including the Incorporated Villages of Sands Point, Port Washington North, Manorhaven and Baxter Estates, as well as portions of the Incorporated Village of Flower Hill, and portions of Unincorporated areas of the Town of North Hempstead.
“The department as a whole had a very, very busy year in 2014,” Ruopacek said. “This year, we’ve already had numerous fire and ambulance calls – today (last Tuesday) we had 16 ambulance calls in one day, which was one of the busiest days in the department’s history.”
The village had 13 calls for 2014 – seven fire calls and six EMS, and in total, the department responded to 1,316 fire calls for 2014, and 1,924 EMS.
“We are the busiest department in Nassau County out of 72, and we’ve been meeting our obligations, sometimes running four to five calls at a time,” Ruopacek said.
Village Mayor Barbara Donno asked about major differences in the department’s budget from last year, which Ruopacek said “nothing major has changed”, however mentioned one truck replacement, and the department now having eight employees.
“The price of gas has gone down now, but it went up significantly in 2014, as well as utilities,” Ruopacek said.
Donno also inquired about mandates imposed on the department, which Ruopacek said there are state and federal mandates, and briefly discussed the National Fire Protection Act (NFPA).
“They mandate how often the department has to purchase gear – and the cost of outfitting a firefighter is around $4,000 (including bunker pants, coat and helmet),” Ruopacek said.
Trustee Matthew Clinton pointed out the biggest increase for the department has been truck maintenance, insurance and appliance, which Ruopacek said the trucks have become more complicated with electrical components, and have to be repaired at a factory.
Ruopacek also discussed a major change in the past few years being required physical examinations, whereas five years ago, certain fire fighters depending on their age would go for a physical every three years, and drivers were required once a year – now everyone in the department, 320 members, is required one examination every year.
“We go out and get prices, pay $200 per person on a yearly basis, which is pretty good with blood tests and x-rays,” Ruopacek said. “This is all why we’re able to keep the budget under two percent.”
